THE recent development involving the case of former President Rodrigo Duterte with the International Criminal Court has evoked a spectrum of sentiments from Filipinos and even non-Filipinos, with some showing support for his arrest and others expressing strong dissent.
Along with these sentiments, some people have used various platforms to proliferate false information and malicious data.
On March 14, an unverified report circulated on social media that the houses of the former president and his kin would be raided by authorities. Following the speculation, supporters assembled at Duterte’s house in Davao City; some even held a vigil to ensure nothing would happen.
Although authorities have not recorded any untoward incident from that day, Major Catherine dela Rey, spokesperson of Police Regional Office 11, advised the public to stop posting and spreading unverified information on social media to avoid escalation of events, which may be brought about by strong emotions.
“Do not post, believe immediately, and share posts on social media because sometimes those are fake news,” dela Rey said.
The spokesperson encouraged the public to fact-check reports from concerned agencies before posting or sharing the information.
Since the law enforcement agency has been part of the controversy, the spokesperson asked the public to continue supporting the Philippine National Police as they are committed to maintaining peace and order.
“Hopefully, their support for the police remains, because we are always committed to providing service to them as law enforcers, maintaining peace and order, and we are here to serve and protect,” she said. PIA DAVAO