CAPIZ – The Municipal Government of Tapaz and the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) have appealed to vloggers, content creators, and the public to refrain from taking or sharing videos and photos of ongoing military and police operations, citing safety risks and security concerns.
The reminder comes after recent encounters between government forces and members of the Central Front and Regional Sentro de Grabidad of the Komiteng Rehiyon–Panay on August 22 and August 25 in the boundaries of barangays Agpalali, Artuz, and Tabon in Tapaz. Several videos taken by vloggers and uploaded on social media showed content creators standing dangerously close to the exchange of gunfire.
Colonel Erwin Rommel Lamzon, chief of the Public Affairs Office of the 3ID, said in a radio interview that while they respect freedom of expression, such actions put vloggers’ lives at serious risk.
“It is no longer within our control if civilians insist on filming or going live on social media during armed encounters. They are exposing themselves to danger, and soldiers cannot guarantee their safety if stray bullets hit them,” Lamzon explained.
He added that while the Army cannot restrict individuals from documenting events, they strongly discourage the practice and urge the public not to compromise personal safety for content.
In line with this, the Tapaz local government issued a public advisory reminding everyone not to take or share images or videos of Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel, their movements, or ongoing operations.
“This is to protect the confidentiality and security of our uniformed services while they perform their duties, and to ensure that their operations will not be compromised or put at risk,” the advisory stated.
The LGU also appealed for cooperation from residents and content creators, stressing that community safety must come first./PN
