‘Unverified’ kidnap try report prompts Cebu City dad’s call for brgys’ responsible use of social media

City Councilor Dave Tumulak | CDN Digital file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — “Barangays should be more responsible in posting information on their social media accounts.”

Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak said this after the Barangay Labangon Peace & Order Advisory Council 2019 posted on their Facebook page an alleged kidnap attempt of four children in the barangay, which had been circulating on social media since Saturday, March 23.

However, the police were still verifying the claims and the post was later taken down on Sunday, March 24. 

“Unahon gyod natog report sa police bag-o ta mopost sa Facebook kay basin giinvestigate pa sa police and makahamper sa ilang operations,” Tumulak, who is also the deputy mayor for police matters, told Cebu Daily News Digital in a phone interview.

(We should first report the incident to the police before we post it on Facebook because the police might have been investigating the incident, and posting it then might hamper their operations.)

Police: No report of such incident

Chief Inspector Keith Andaya, Punta Police Precinct chief, told Cebu Daily News Digital, that there was no report of such “kidnapping attempt” in Barangay Labangon on Saturday, the day the warning was posted. 

Andaya said that they would investigate the source of the post in order to verify if such incident did occur in Barangay Labangon and if it was a valid cause for alarm. 

The Facebook post garnered more than 200 reactions, 197 comments and 3,000 shares on Facebook. 

“SA TANANG LUMULUPYO UG MGA GINIKANAN SA BARANGAY LABANGON NGA PALIHUG KOG BANTAY SA INYUNG MGA ANAK KAY NAAY NI DOOL SA BARANGAY LABANGON HALL UPAT KA BATA NGA HAPIT SILA KIDNAPA UG USA KA VAN NGA MAG SUROY2 SA MGA BARANGAY,” warned the post 

(To all residents and parents of Barangay Labangon, please closely monitor your children because somebody informed the Labangon Barangay Hall about four children who were nearly kidnapped by persons in a white van, roving around the barangay.)

The post also warned the public to keep their children on check especially after classes have ended, since this was around that time of the alleged kidnap attempt of the four children.

Andaya said that posts such as this, unverified and unreported to the police, could cause unnecessary panic among the public. 

“If naa gani mahitabo ani, ireport unta nila sa police aron maimbestigaran dayon,” he said. 

(If there are incidents that will happen in the barangay, you should report this to the police so that this can be investigated immediately.)

He also encouraged the public to avoid posting unverified information on Facebook so as not to cause alarm and misconceptions of the security of a certain place.

Andaya said that they were verifying the alleged report and then find out who made the statement at the barangay hall, so they could begin to investigate the alleged incident. 

Letter to Labangon officials

Tumulak, for his part, said he would be sending a letter to Labangon officials to remind them of the proper use of social media especially on security matters. 

He said that the barangays should be responsible for the information they would send out to the public as this could cause unnecessary alarm for the people. 

Tumulak also encouraged individuals to be as responsible on social media and avoid sharing unverified information. 

Read more: Mayor Luigi going after person who posted hoax kidnapping on FB

Similar incident

In 2016, a similar incident happened in Mandaue City when a certain Facebook post about an alleged kidnapping attempt of female teenagers by armed persons in a white van in Barangay Tabok,

The post turned out to be a hoax.

Mandaue Mayor Luigi Quisumbing planned to file a case against the owner of the account but did not pursue it after the FB account owner apologized publicly and deactivated her FB account. 

Tumulak said that although the city might not resort to such legal actions, he still encouraged the public to be responsible on social media as it had become a powerful tool in spreading information. 

“Kung di mo segurado, ayaw lang ipost,” said Tumulak. 

(If you are not sure of the veracity of the report, then don’t post it.)

Cebu Daily News Digital tried to reach the officials of Barangay Labangon, but they could not be reached for comment./dbs