MANILA – There is no truth to reports spreading online that there will be military control and an extension of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said.
He branded the reports as “fake news.”
“Huwag po tayong maniwala, mga kababayan,” Nograles said. “The government is doing its best to address the COVID-19 outbreak.”
The quarantine ends on April 12.
“Ang gusto nga natin, madaliin na ito. Gusto natin mapabilis na ito pero kailangan ang cooperation,” he added.
Nograles also said all official announcements would only come from President Rodrigo Duterte, the Department of Health, and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
The Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and Anti-Cybercrime Group, along with the National Bureau of Investigation, are now intensifying operations against purveyors of fake news, added Nograles.
The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group on Friday charged four persons with spreading false reports and information amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
President Duterte on March signed Republic Act (RA) 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, which grants him special powers to solve the outbreak.
One of the provisions included in RA 11469 imposes a two-month jail sentence or a fine of up to P1 million against persons who spread false information related to COVID-19./PN
