Man who posted fake news about virus to face raps

CEBU, Philippines —  A certain Jewel Louie Alviso posted false information on social media Friday that there was supposedly a confirmed case of coronavirus in Talisay City. Although he was sorry for it, he is still not off the hook.

Alviso, a former member of the Talisay City Rescue Team who had gone AWOL (absent without official leave), will face charges for what he had done, according to Talisay City Mayor Gerard Anthony “Samsam” Gullas.

Gullas told The FREEMAN that his legal team is now studying what cases to file against Alviso for allegedly sowing panic among the city’s residents with his post.

Gullas said he is determined to pursue charges against Alviso also in support of the directive of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra to fight fake news about the novel coronavirus which has killed more than 700 globally, mostly in China.

Guevarra was among the guests during the 1st Prosecutors league summit held in Talisay. In an interview, he told reporters that he has issued a department order asking the National Bureau of Investigation to go after those proliferating fake news about the virus.

Guevarra said the government is in a serious fight against the virus and the same should not be made a subject of ridicule.

He warned that those who post unverified reports online for the purpose of intentionally causing panic and fear among the people will face the consequences of their actions.

Guevarra urged Gullas to update him on Alviso’s case or coordinate with the NBI-7 office to investigate the incident further.

‘If only there was National ID’

Meanwhile, Senator Imee Marcos said that contact tracing of persons suspected of being infected with the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (nCoV ARD) could have been done faster and more efficiently if the national identification (ID) system had already been in place.

“Mas madaling mahanap kung naimplement na sana ang national ID system natin. Sana ma-implement na ito kasi nga aprubado na ni Presidente Duterte yung batas,” said Marcos in a press conference Friday in Cebu City.

Marcos said public emergencies like nCoV call for quick data-sharing and coordination of government agencies with local government units, which a system of identification and tracking like the national ID system could address.

She made this observation after Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a Senate committee hearing last Tuesday that they have only been able to assess 17 percent of 331 passengers who were on the same flights as an infected couple from Wuhan who entered the country two weeks ago.

“Ang national ID system ay isang digital information backbone na ginagamit ngayon para habulin ang paglaganap ng nCoV sa Wuhan at sa buong China. Tanggapin natin ang kagandahan ng sistemang ito para sa kapakinabangan ng publiko at huwag nang kontrahin para sa pansariling dahilan,” Marcos said.

The Philippine Identification System Act, signed by President Duterte in August 2018, legalizes the national ID system that will do away with the usual requirement of multiple IDs in government and private sector transactions such as applying for health care, insurance, and licenses, making travel reservations, opening bank accounts, and opening bank accounts.

Public registration for the national ID system will start with Filipino and permanent foreign residents in July this year and OFWs in mid-2021, targeting a 100 percent compliance rate by mid-2022.

Marcos has likewise pushed for a more pro-active implementation of comprehensive measures by the government to stop the spread of the nCoV in the country.

She said that government directives must now cover social interaction beyond the country’s points of entry because infected persons may have already slipped in before the travel ban was imposed. JMD (FREEMAN)