PNP chief warns against ‘fake news’ on robbery incidents
BEWARE of stories about robbery incidents in Metro Manila or you may become a victim of “fake news,” Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Oscar Albayalde warned on Wednesday.
“Seemingly, there is somebody here who is spreading disinformation because they want to picture that there’s chaos in the area and society, particularly in Quezon City. They are saying that there are simultaneous robbery incidents in the area. We are now saying those robberies are not true. They are fake news,” Albayalde told reporters in a mix of English and Filipino.
He said that these unverified information were being spread to instill fear among the people and paint a picture of chaos.
Albayalde said that the “only correct” incident was the one, which happened in a Japanese restaurant in Quezon City on June 1 when four suspects robbed its customers.
Albayalde said that spreading misinformation was not new to him, especially in the age of social media.
“There are a lot of gossipers in the social media. This is not new, actually. There are a lot of fake news circulating, especially about terrorism and others,” Albayalde said.
He encouraged the public to seek validation from police authorities first before believing the information on the Internet.
“What is important is that the public, once they get news like that, they have to inform us immediately so that we can validate all these information and we can confirm or deny this information,” Albayalde said.
Meanwhile, newly-installed PNP spokesman, Senior Supt. Benigno Durana, said that only the PNP was the source of authentic information.
“In this age, days and age of fake news, the only thing you will hear from PNP are only real information because the truth is also freedom,” he said. ROY NARRA
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