Davao City: The Philippine National Police (PNP) announced plans to file a lawsuit against a vlogger who disseminated false information about an impending police raid on former president Rodrigo Duterte’s residence in Davao City. PNP chief Gen. Romel Marbil confirmed that the Davao-based vlogger responsible for the fake news has been identified.

According to Philippines News Agency, Gen. Marbil emphasized the importance of preserving evidence, stating, “Pina-freeze natin ang (We freeze the) evidence. I don’t want to name the person, but we’ll be filing a case doon sa isang tao na nagkalat na [we will raid] ‘yung bahay [of Duterte] (against the person who spread that we will raid Duterte’s house).” This statement was made during a press conference at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

The PNP has intensified its efforts to combat the proliferation of fake news with the establishment of the Joint Anti-Fake News Action Committee (JAFNAC), which was launched on May 2. The committee is spearheaded by Deputy for Operations Lt. Gen. Robert Rodriguez and is collaborating with the Anti-Cybercrime Group to conduct a detailed investigation aimed at identifying and prosecuting those responsible for spreading unfounded and damaging information.

The task force comprises several governmental bodies including the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Bureau of Investigation, Presidential Communications Office, Philippine Information Agency, Department of Information and Communication Technology, National Youth Commission, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, and the PNP Press Corps.