Malacañang has warned politicians over alleged use of the emergency cell broadcast system (ECBS) for political campaigning, saying it must not be abused.
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro pointed out that the system should only be used for emergency purposes.
"Huwag po sanang abusuhin itong emergency cell broadcast system dahil ito po, pag sinabi pong emergency ay dapat pang-emergency lamang po (The emergency cell broadcast system should not be abused, because when we say emergency, it should be used strictly for emergency purposes)," Castro said in a Palace briefing on Tuesday, April 8.
"Hindi po ‘to dapat inaabuso ng sinuman para sa pansariling kapakanan (This should not be abused by anyone for personal gain)," Castro stressed.
The Palace official also said that the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) are already looking into the matter and warned that people found violating the law would face charges.
"Nagkaroon na rin po ng pag-iimbestiga ang DICT at ang NTC patungkol po dito at sinuman po na mapapatunayang nagkaroon ng paglabag sa batas ay sasampahan po ng kaso (The DICT and the NTC have already conducted an investigation regarding this, and anyone found to have violated the law will be charged accordingly)," Castro said.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) has denounced the alleged use of the system for political campaigning, calling it highly inappropriate and dangerous.
It underscored that the ECBS is strictly for disseminating life-saving alerts during emergencies such as earthquakes, typhoons or other imminent threats to public safety.
It was also disclosed that reports have surfaced from several provinces where residents allegedly received ECBS alerts urging them to vote for particular candidates.