PB to pass ordinance imposing penalties on netizens who spread false info about nCoV

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu Provincial Board is expected to pass on Monday afternoon, February 10, 2020, an ordinance imposing penalties on individuals who spread false information about the 2019 novel coronavirus on social media.

The ordinance, authored by fourth district Board Member and Committee on Health and Social Services chair Kerrie Keane Shimura, adopts Governor Gwendolyn Garcia’s Executive Order no. 5, which sets the guidelines for the quarantine of repatriated Filipinos from China, Hong Kong and Macau.

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

Aside from those that spread false information, the ordinance also sets fines and penalties for those who would not correctly fill out their health declaration cards, especially on their travel history, upon arrival at the Mactan Cebu International Airport.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia earlier said she has issued a certificate of urgency for the ordinance. This means that the measure may be passed in the first, second and third reading in Monday’s 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.

Read: Talisay City gov’t warns people who spread misinformation on the 2019-nCoV on social media of sanctions

Read: Gullas tells City Legal Office to study case vs man spreading misinformation on 2019-nCoV

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. /bmjo