DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has warned the public against publishing “wrong information” that crime incidents are rising in the city following trending posts on the issue on social media.
“Usahay man gud naa man gud style ning mga tao sa social media na himuon man, gusto magpa trending ba. (expletive), pwede mo magpa-trending kanang mosayaw mo dira. Kabalo mo ayaw mo pag (expletive), pag buhat-buhat og kanang mga istorya,” he said during the Special Hour interview at the Davao City Disaster Radio on Friday, August 19.
(Sometimes these people like to get trending in social media. You can dance if you want to be like that. But you know don’t ****, don’t make stories.)
He lambasted netizens who claimed a series of robbery/holdup, akyat-bahay (breaking and entering homes), and theft are rampant in the city — a situation that challenges the peace and order narrative of Davao City.
“Ngano, journalist mo? Gi-eskwelahan na ninyo para mag-post mo? Unsay kapuslanan ni SunStar, Edge (Davao), Mindanao (Times), ug bisan si Brigada para lang kay gusto mo matagad mo? ***** ninyo. Ayaw mo pataka kay naningkamot atong mga pulis,” he said.
(Why, are you journalists? Did you study that so that you can make stories? What’s the purpose of SunStar, Edge Davao, Mindanao Times, and even Brigada, you just want attention? **** Stop making conclusions because the police are doing their best here.)
While the mayor admitted that crimes such as holdups and akyat-bahay happen, he said it is best to “let the media report it” and “let the police give a reply.”
Screengrab of a netizen’s sentiment shared on Facebook about the “rising” crime incidents in Davao City.
Duterte urged the public to report the case to the authorities rather than posting it online, adding that such posts are not helpful and can damage the morale of the police.
The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) denied allegations over social media that there are areas where the alleged robbery incidents are prevalent.
A public post shared on Facebook by another netizen mentioned some areas in Davao City where recent incidents of holdups allegedly happened.
“It is very unfortunate that there are some misinformation and invalidated reports made by some individuals that paint a negative picture of our safety and security status in the city,” it said in a statement.
The DCPO added they have “already validated and conducted investigation” on the claims and “found no reported robbery/hold-up incidents that happened in the areas mentioned on social media.” It added the establishment mentioned in one of the posts has already denied the allegation.
The DCPO asked the public to refrain from sharing “malicious and fake news” to avoid causing panic and fear to the public as this may have legal implications. (davaotoday.com)
