Penalties, jail time vs netizens who spread fake news on 2019-nCoV readied

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Penalties, including jail time, awaits those who spread false information about the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Cebu.

This as the provincial government is eyeing to pass next Monday, Feb. 10, 2020, an ordinance that will impose penalties to those that would spread “fake news” about the 2019-nCoV situation.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, in a meeting with the mayors today, Feb. 6, said Board Member Kerrie Keane Shimura, who heads the Provincial Board’s Committee on Health and Social Services, will sponsor the ordinance which will be certified as urgent.

Being certified as urgent means the measure may be approved in the first, second and third reading in one session.

The measure to penalize those who spread false news about the 2019-nCoV came after a former member of the Talisay City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office claimed in a Facebook post on Tuesday, Feb. 4, that the district hospital in the city is under red alert because of a possible nCoV positive patient.

The City’s DRRMO denied the information and said that those who spread false information “will be dealt with accordingly.”

Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas has already tasked the City Legal Office to look into possible charges that may be pressed against the netizen despite the latter’s public apology.

As of this writing, the governor did not disclose the specific penalties that the province would impose on persons who will spread false information.

Aside from dealing with fake news, the upcoming ordinance will also adopt Garcia’s earlier executive order which set the guidelines for the implementation of the quarantine measures for the arriving Filipinos from China, Hong Kong or Macau.

Also included in the persons who will be penalized will be those who will give false information in their health declaration cards which the Bureau of Quarantine distributes to all arriving international passengers.

Among the crucial entries in the health declaration card is the person’s travel history.

Even foreign passengers who are not arriving from China, but have visited the country or its administrative regions namely Hong Kong and Macau, will not be allowed entry in the country pursuant to the travel ban issued by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Filipino nationals arriving from other countries but have visited China, Hong Kong, and Macau within the past 14 days, will also be quarantined.

Dr. Terence Anthony Bermejo of the BOQ Cebu, in the same meeting, said the entries in the passenger’s health declaration are still subject to verification by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

“If the BI discovers that the passenger has travel history to China, Hong Kong or Macau, they will be sent back to us,” Bermejo said. /rcg