'Iyak at sorry ulit?' Vlogger faces charges for spreading false claim about Duterte's house raid
The Philippine National Police (PNP) will be filing criminal charges against a vlogger for allegedly spreading disinformation about the supposed raid on the house of former president Rodrigo Duterte in Davao City.
PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil did not name the vlogger but said police investigators are now preparing the cases in relation to violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
He said they immediately conducted the investigation after being informed about social media posts of the alleged raid on the house of the former president by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Special Action Force (SAF).
“We already identified this vlogger who is spreading fake news, we have already asked to freeze the evidence. I don’t want to name the person but we’ll be filing a case,” said Marbil.
Marbil initiated the fight against disinformation drive following false information that spread over the kidnap-slay of businessman Anson Que.
He created the PNP’s Joint Anti-Fake News Action Committee (JAFNAC) which was tasked to conduct a focused and thorough investigation, as well as initiate legal offensive against those spreading false information that concerns peace and order and national security.
The agencies included in the task force are the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Bureau of Investigation, PCO, Philippine Information Agency, DICT, National Youth Commission, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, and the PNP Press Corps.
“We want to stop those who are spreading fake news. This is a war we must fight and win not with weapons but with vigilance, individual responsibility and collective will because in defending truth, we defend what is right. In protecting truth, we protect our people,” Marbil said.
“If we allow this (disinformation) to persist, we will wake up to a nation where lies travel faster than facts, where distrust overtakes unity, and where good is thrown in noise. That is why today we declare war not against people but against lies,” he added.
Aside from the PNP, the National Bureau of Investigation has already initiated a campaign to run after fake news peddlers, with some of them ended up crying and apologizing during confrontation.