Malacañang said it would not bar supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte from venting out their sentiments as he faces trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
At a press briefing on Friday, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said it is the right of supporters to express their feelings over Duterte’s current predicament.
“Sympathizing with former President Duterte is their right. We won’t stop that… it is their right to be sad, to grieve for the former president,” she said in Filipino.
At the same time, Castro emphasized that there is currently no credible threat against the administration.
However, she assured that the administration would act decisively should Pro-Duterte groups engage in actions that threaten the government’s stability.
Additionally, Castro said that there is no need to conduct “loyalty checks” on the military and police establishments amid an explosion of scuttlebutt of instability and dissatisfaction following Duterte’s arrest and extradition.
For its part, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) denied the online rumors spreading of a supposedly looming emergency situation in Metro Manila.
The NCRPO said that a social media post by “Maranao TV,” advising residents to make preparations for a possible emergency situation in Metro Manila.
“There is no credible information monitored by our intelligence units that would suggest any form of threat in Metro Manila,” the NCRPO said in a statement.
“We want to assure everyone that an in-depth validation was immediately conducted and based on the latest intelligence report by various intelligence units, there is no information of any security threat that can cause a security alarm in Metro Manila,” it added.
Moreover, the NCRPO were now investigating and tracking the identity and whereabouts of the person in the video.
“We encourage everyone to remain calm, deliberate and to be very discerning in what you see in social media,” the NCRPO police told the public.
Similarly, the Police Regional Office in Bicol (PRO5) announced it is officially downgrading its “heigthened alert” status as the situation in its jurisdiction appears stable.
The “Bicol Shield” was activated as law enforcement units throughout the country raised their readiness for trouble following Duterte’s arrest on Tuesday.
On Thursday, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Jaime Santiago (Ret.) ordered the agency’s Cybercrime Division to conduct a case build-up against vloggers who are spreading fake news on online platforms.
In a media forum, Santiago said the right of freedom of speech and freedom of expression are not excuses to proliferate false information.
“[We can file a case for] cyberlibel, we can also charge them with incitement to sedition because they are already causing confusion,” he said.