FOR the nth time, authorities are reminding the public to refrain from spreading unverified reports of a terror plot targeting commercial establishments and public places.
“Again, I am advising everyone who received such kind of messages not to spread it and instead report to the police or military for verification,” said Col. Medel Aguilar, public information officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Central Command.
Spreading threatening messages will only cause undue panic, Aguilar added.
The public is advised not to believe reports right away even if some of these messages drop the names of government officials to make it appear that the information is authentic.
Also, to make the information believable, some recipients are even asked not to post the information on their social media accounts but relay them only through private messages.
“Those kind of messages are not new to us. We’ve received such messages and those are unverified,” said Aguilar.
“We should stay calm, we should stop the disinformation, but at the same time we must stay vigilant and alert.”
As government troops continue to pound members of Maute Group in Marawi City, law enforcers in Central Visayas remain on high alert.
“We are on alert because everyone can be targeted of terror attacks. But the good thing is, there is no imminent threat in our area and we have not monitored any movement,” Aguilar assured.