Makati City Mayor Abby Binay on Thursday, September 19, said the city is eyeing the filing of charges against the moderators of a Facebook page that posted a misleading two-year old photo of a clamped motorcycle taxi in the city, saying that it tarnishes the reputation of the city government.
Mayor Abby Binay
"On Tuesday, Streetlife Manila posted a photo of a clamped motorcycle with a caption stating, “Naputulan ng kadena si Manong Angkas, itinabi niya saglit, imbes na tulungan sana, Clamp at Ticket ang binigay ng enforcer" (Manong Angkas parked his motorcycle by the roadside when the chain broke, but instead of helping him, the enforcer clamped his vehicle and issued a ticket)," Binay said.
“Streetlife Manila is maliciously spreading fake news and disinformation on social media,” she added.
The mayor stressed that the post, which now has 48,500 reactions and 18,200 shares, was clearly intended to put the city government in a bad light.
“The malicious post has gone viral and elicited harsh comments against the city from netizens,” she said.
The mayor noted that the official seen in the photo was not even an employee of the Public Safety Department (PSD) who was involved in the incident, but a traffic enforcer of the Makati Parking Authority (MAPA). MAPA is a private corporation authorized to implement traffic schemes and parking regulations within the Makati Central Business District.
Streetlife Manila had clarified that the incident shown in the photo happened about two years ago.
"Based on its investigation, one of their traffic enforcers passed by the abandoned motorcycle on the sidewalk and promptly clamped it. He then asked a fellow enforcer to wait for the driver’s return. It was subsequently learned that the driver went to buy spare parts to replace the broken chain, and the MAPA enforcers proceeded to remove the clamp and no longer issued him a violation ticket," the city government explained.
“Contrary to the caption on the post, the driver was given due consideration for his predicament and was not even issued an ordinance violation receipt,” Binay said.
Due to the social media post, the local chief executive has directed Makati's Law Department to study the filing of appropriate charges against the creators and administrators of Streetlife Manila and those who shared the malicious post.
“Digital content creators should be prudent and responsible. In pursuing social media clout, this Facebook page has resorted to spreading false information and exposed our officials and employees to online abuse and harassment,” she stressed.