PNP to investigate disinformation blamed for huge crowds at vaccination sites
MANILA, Philippines — The chief of the Philippine National Police has ordered an investigation into the alleged sabotage, supposedly through the dissemination of disinformation, of the COVID-19 vaccination program in some parts of Metro Manila.
In a statement, Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar pointed to what he said was "wrong and malicious information" circulating on social media and text messages claiming unvaccinated people would not be allowed to go outside and would not receive cash aid amid the Enhanced Community Quarantine.
He said the false chain message eventually "caused massive crowds to rush to get COVID-19 jabs at the vaccination centers."
“We are already looking into this and part of it is to trace the identity of the source of disinformation on vaccination being circulated on social media and text messages,” Eleazar said in Filipino.
This comes after viral videos on social media showed large crowds forming outside the vaccination sites of local government units.
Eleazar reminded the public that there is no existing order to prevent unvaccinated people from going out of their homes.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government has assured the public that qualified beneficiaries of the cash assistance from the national government in the Metro Manila will be given ‘ayuda’, regardless of their vaccination status.
President Rodrigo Duterte has, on different occasions, tried to convince people to get vaccinated through threats.
In a taped address in late July, the president told the unvaccinated to stay home. He warned that they would be "escorted back to your house because you are a walking spreader." In June, he said that "if you don’t want to be vaccinated, I will have you arrested... I will have you injected on your butt."
Eleazar warned the public "not to [quickly] believe the information that is being spread. It costs nothing to inquire with our LGUs and agencies. We can also check the official websites of government agencies and read announcements."
“We can also catch up with the mainstream media: on TV, radio or newspapers. Many are taking advantage of the pandemic and spreading false information just to cause trouble, so we must be critical,” he added.
Incidentally, the PNP itself has been caught spreading disinformation on its official social media accounts. The personnel involved eventually got off with a "reminder."
READ: Despite proof, PNP says it did not try to link community pantries to rebels
'Where is your conscience?': QC hits spreaders of fake news
In a separate statement sent to reporters, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte slammed the proliferation of wrong information, saying the resulting crowds "can easily become super-spreader events."
Belmonte said that the false information circulating in Quezon City urged the public to line up outside vaccine sites for “walk-in accommodations." Walk-in vaccinations are not allowed except for senior citizens.
"Some shameless individuals still continue to instigate these situations by spreading fake news on social media...to those spreading this fake news (for whatever malicious reason), I hope you have a guilty conscience. You are literally endangering the lives of countless men, women, and children," she said.
"If you do not want to listen to our appeals, we will file a case of reckless endangerment, violation of Cybercrime Law, and unjust vexation. To this end, I would like to appeal to our national law enforcement agencies to investigate these posts, and file the necessary charges."
The mayor also clarified that Quezon City does not allow walk-ins in its vaccine sites.
"There is a proper pre-registration and scheduling system that continues to be implemented in our city," she said in Filipino.
"To social media platforms, I hope that you can help curb the spread of this particularly dangerous type of fake news, and permanently ban those who use your platform to jeopardize the health and safety of others."
To date, health authorities have recorded 1.64 million coronavirus infections in the country, 76,063 of whom are still classified as active cases.
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Disclosure: Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is a shareholder of Philstar Global Corp., which operates digital news outlet Philstar.com. This article was produced following editorial guidelines.
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