Ben Madilynn
Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has ordered the City Legal Office (CLO) to conduct a thorough investigation to file a case against the individuals who are involved in spreading fake news or anything that is not true.
Benitez said he already tasked the CLO to come up with basis to file a case against the individuals who are spreading fake news because they put Bacolod in a bad light.
“So, it’s whether for the police enforcement agency or the City Government will find a basis to file the case against those persons involved in spreading fake news,” he said.
He added that initially, the CLO found basis for the filing of the case against those persons involved especially, those really puts Bacolod in bad light.
The mayor stressed that the CLO already identified some of the individuals involved in spreading fake news and they will file the criminal case soon.
“We will not allow this to happen again, we have a justification to do so,” Benitez said.
If it has political intention, he said they will include those persons involved in the filing of the case.
The mayor earlier appealed to the netizens to stop spreading fake news or anything that is not true to avoid creating panic and alarm to the general public.
Some netizens posted on social media of the alleged presence of a van abducting an individual in the city.
Benitez said that doing this is counter-productive, and will just cause unnecessary harm to some people.
The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) also urged the public to remain calm and vigilant but also to avoid spreading unverified information that could cause undue alarm in the community.
BCPO officer-in-charge Colonel JoerestyCoronica earlier said misinformation, especially when disseminated through social media, can escalate quickly and create unnecessary fear, which may disrupt the peace and order of the city.
” We encourage everyone to report any suspicious activities directly to the nearest police station or through our official communication channels. This will allow us to respond swiftly and appropriately to any genuine threats,” he said./MAP
