Manila: Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Nicolas Torre III has accused vloggers and "trolls" associated with the Duterte administration of disseminating fake news online to tarnish the image of the police organization. During a press briefing, Torre identified three viral videos that were allegedly used to portray the Philippines as having a significant peace and order issue.
According to Philippines News Agency, Torre pointed out that these videos were circulated by Diehard Duterte Supporters (DDS) vloggers and trolls, who, according to him, lack legitimate grievances to direct at the government. "These were all posted by DDS vloggers, DDS trolls who have no legitimate issues to throw at the government," Torre stated. He further explained that these actions mislead the public into believing that there is a lack of orderliness and peace in the country.
The first video shows three young motorcycle-riding men placing a wooden bench in the middle of the road, causing a vehicular accident. Torre clarified that the uploader, Mitsy Vlogs, falsely presented the video as being filmed in the Philippines, when it was actually recorded in Indonesia, as evidenced by the license plate. The PNP is now working with Meta to have the video removed from Facebook.
A second video, uploaded by a user named Kerwin Salvador dela Cruz, depicted a group of teenagers attacking a young man. PNP verification confirmed that this incident occurred in Vietnam. The third video, recorded in Cebu, was misrepresented as a robbery case but was actually a fistfight between two bus passengers.
Torre announced that efforts are underway to have all these videos taken down and to file charges against their uploaders. Of the 1,372 malicious posts or fake news flagged for removal, 112 have been taken down, while 1,260 were flagged by Meta, according to data from the PNP-Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) covering the period from January 1 to August 13.
Six cases have been filed against individuals responsible for these posts, with four cases currently undergoing preliminary investigation and two in trial. "Let us stop sharing unverified information. Please be reminded that spreading fake news is a serious offense punishable by law with fines and imprisonment," urged PNP-ACG director Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang. He also encouraged the public to report any instances of malinformation, misinformation, or disinformation to the PNP-ACG or dial 911 for prompt action.
