Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 19) — A barangay official in Marikina City will be facing sanctions for allegedly spreading fake news and causing panic among residents amid the coronavirus disease pandemic, the mayor said Thursday.
Mayor Marcy Teodoro said Barangay Tumana Chairman Ziffred Ancheta will be charged for misinforming the public by announcing that a resident supposedly contracted the disease known as COVID-19.
Ancheta made the announcement on Facebook in a live video. Teodoro said this “caused panic” among the people. City health officials later denied Ancheta’s claim that a security guard at a shopping center in San Juan City was a confirmed case.
“I am urging everyone to be responsible when posting on social media, especially about COVID-19,” said the mayor.
Teodoro said Ancheta violated the Data Privacy Act for revealing a patient’s information, adding he also broke the Health department protocol on informing the public about COVID-19 cases.
Marikina has at least six confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the 217 recorded nationwide. Among the 17 patients who succumbed to the disease in the country, one person was from the city.
