ARREST orders will soon be served against several individuals who have committed “cyber sedition,” the Department of Information and Communications Technology said Tuesday.
In a news briefing, ICT Secretary Rodolfo Salalima said that those spreading propaganda over social media to promote acts of terror will be arrested.
“There are persons who will be arrested for cyber sedition. We are not going to name the persons. We were able to track more than one last night,” Salalima told Palace reporters without naming names.
Salalima said the DICT is “involved” in tracking social media users who purportedly share activities perpetrated by terrorists groups in the Philippines.
“To the extent that they effect or they commit cyber crimes, then DICT takes over,” he said.
“Remember: rebellion, sedition are crimes under the old Penal Code. You do sedition, you incite people via the internet. I call it, there is cyber rebellion. In rebellion, there must be a taking up of arms, so if it’s done online, it could amount to cyber sedition,” Salalima added.
The military had earlier requested Facebook to take down about 63 accounts allegedly being used by the Maute terror group and their sympathizers to spread “malicious information and misinformation that affect the mindset of Filipinos.”
The Justice Department, meanwhile, asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its order designating the Cagayan de Oro Regional Trial Court to hear cases against arrested members and supporters of the Maute terrorist group.
“In the interest of the safety of our personnel, to provide proper detention facilities to apprehended members of the Maute Group and to serve the ends of justice, may we request the regional trial court in Taguig City be designated as the court to try and decide all cases and incidents arising from the Maute Group takeover of Marawi City,” Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said in a letter to the Court.
Aguirre said he personally inspected the detention facility in Camp Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro City and found several problems.
“Camp Evangelista does not have proper detention facilities to accommodate apprehended members of the Maute group,” he said, adding that the Armed Forces did not have the proper training to provide proper jail management or the funds for food and other provisions for the detainees. With Rey E. Requejo