The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday urged the public to stay calm and avoid spreading unverified information about the recent incident at the Senate in Pasay City, warning that misinformation could fuel fear, confusion, and public disorder.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said he has directed the Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) to assist the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in conducting cyber patrols against online content that deliberately exploits the incident to mislead the public, incite violence, or sow panic.
“This is not the time for misinformation and an opportunity to sow fear and incite violence. Rather, this is the time for us to take a stand in fighting for what is right and just. On the part of the PNP, we will ensure accountability against those who would dare do that,” Nartatez said.
The PNP said online monitoring will be tightened to identify posts and other content that could affect public order or compromise the integrity of the investigation into the May 13 Senate incident.
Nartatez said the PNP is coordinating closely with the DICT, which earlier cautioned the public against the rapid spread of fake news and unverified claims related to the case.
He said the public should rely only on information from legitimate sources, including established news organizations and official government agencies, while authorities continue their investigation.
The PNP chief said the appeal is in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to look into the incident and ensure that the public is properly informed.
“We ask all our kababayan to refrain from engaging in speculations and remain calm instead as we commit to ferret out the truth about what happened. And also commit to making public the result of the investigation,” Nartatez said.
Authorities are still determining the circumstances surrounding the incident, which has drawn public attention and triggered a wave of discussions on social media.
The PNP said it would continue to pursue accountability both in the investigation itself and in cases where online content is found to have been used to deliberately spread fear, incite violence, or mislead the public.