Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7) — Three vloggers were arrested after staging a kidnapping prank that sparked widespread public outrage and concern, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Monday.
The PNP said it took into custody on August 1 three content creators behind Tukomi — which currently has 4.2 million followers on Facebook and 4.2 million subscribers on Youtube — based on a warrant of arrest for alarm and scandal.
The arrest stemmed from the incident that unfolded last April 6 in Barangay CAA, Las Piñas City, where Mark Heroshi San Rafael, Mark Lester San Rafael, and Eleazar Steven Fuentes staged a scene in which men wearing black bonnets kidnapped an individual on the street.
Unknown to them, PNP-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) member Police Staff Sergeant Ronnie Conmigo witnessed the “meticulously orchestrated” scenario, which prompted him to lodge a criminal complaint against the vloggers.
Pranks that induce panic and disrupt public order cannot be taken lightly. We commend our personnel for their swift action in this instance,” PNP chief Benjamin Acorda said.
The viral video is still up and has since accumulated around 817,000 views on Youtube.
While the three were released from custody on August 2 following due legal procedures and bail payment, their arraignment is scheduled on August 10 before a Las Piñas court.
