Lawyer nabbed for spreading unverified info about COVID-19

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 50-year-old lawyer, who allegedly posted unverified information related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is under police custody.

Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), identified the suspect as Rommel Rosito, a resident of Barangay Basak Pardo in Cebu City.

Rosito will be facing charges for violating Republic Act (RA) 11332 or an act on mandatory reporting of notifiable diseases and health events of public health concern act, RA 10173 or an act known as Data Privacy Act, and RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.

Ferro said they arrested Rosito in his house this morning, March 28, 2020.

The intial investigation showed that Rosito allegedly posted on his Facebook page the names, addresses and the hospitals where these persons were allegedly admitted.

In a press statement, Ferro said that posting unverified information had repeatedly been condemned as it would create panic among the public, which was the reason the police went after those who would be posting such things online.

“Wala mi gipili maski unsa’y istado sa kinabuhi, dakpon ta mo,” reads a portion of Ferro’s statement.

(We go after anyone, who commits these crimes, regardless of status in life.)

As of this time, Rosito is detained in the PRO-7 facility while undergoing further investigation./dbs