POLICE Regional Office Davao Region (PRO-Davao) urged the public to validate videos uploaded involving peace and order on social media platforms to avoid causing panic in the community
"Dahil nga po sa advent ng social media na talagang some people just like to have viewers lang makakuha lang talaga ng views hindi na natin alam 'yong totoo (due to the advent of social media that some of the people are just after the number of views)," PltCol. Eudisan Gultiano, PRO-Davao spokesperson, said in an interview on Davao City Disaster Radio on May 5, 2023.
She added that it will only be classified as a legitimate case if there's a reported case in the police station.
"I-report niyo 'yan sa pulis kung may nangyari talagang insidenteng ganyan (Please report it to the authorities if there are incidents)," she added.
"Ang problema kasi ang unang sinusumbongan ng ating mga tao is 'yong Facebook. Sino ba ang nagtatrabaho ngayon sa law enforcement, ang Facebook ba? (The problem is, people nowadays tend to report first on Facebook rather than at the police stations. Is Facebook working as a law enforcer?)," Gultiano said.
She said people could not identify if the uploaded unverified videos or information on social media are uploaded out of concern or for the sake of views.
"Kasi iba narin ang panahon ngayon, once maraming views pwede na ring i-monetize (Maybe because once you have a lot of views, you can monetized it)," she added.
She said instances of fake news online or unverified videos being uploaded have sacrificed the peace and order in the region.
The issue has been raised due to some local media outlets and other people uploading videos of a child crying and being a victim of attempted abduction which causes panic among the parents.
Gultiano said there was no reported case of attempted abduction or a case related to the uploaded video.
Meanwhile, in 2022, the 18-year-old student fake news peddler from Toril, Davao City faced a charge against PRO-Davao for disturbing public order in the city.
The fake news peddler cited the following areas in the city to be prevalent in crimes: Padre Gomez St., inside Gaisano Mall Bajada's comfort room, 7/11 near Felcris Centrale, Catalunan Grande, GSIS Subdivision, Brgy. Matina Crossing, Buhangin Area, Garcia Heights, and NCCC Uyanguren.
Anyone who will cause a public disturbance will face imprisonment for six months and will pay a penalty ranging from P40,000 to P200,000 for violation of Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code. KSD
