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| Photo courtesy of Abogado.com |
Manila, Philippines — Former opposition Senatorial candidate
Florin “Pilo” Hilbay on Friday joined the netizens on their demand for Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)
deputy administrator Margaux “Mocha” Uson to be arrested for violating the
“Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.”
Hilbay posted in his Twitter, as he was emphasizing on a
provision in the newly enacted law criminalizing the act of spreading
disinformation in the time of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis by urging
the government to punish Uson’s recent social media fiasco, which for many
netizens as another act of spreading fake news in her sensational
blog.
“The Bayanihan Act dangerously criminalizes fake news. O
sige nga… #ArrestMochaNOW,” Hilbay Twitted.
The former Solicitor General’s tweeted after Uson’s Facebook
page Mocha Uson Blog posted news of the Department of Health’s (DOH)
newly-purchased personal protective equipment (PPE), showing a photo of health
care frontliners wearing the donated PPEs by the government.
However, a netizen opposed Mocha’s post regarding the donated
PPEs, claiming that the photos were actually the donation made by SM Foundation
and not by the DOH.
After being called out, Mocha immediately edited her Facebook
page and posted a different photo and apologized. She also thanked the netizen
for calling her attention.
The Bayanihan Act or RA 11469, section 6 (f) of the said law
states: “Individuals or groups creating, perpetrating, or spreading false
information regarding the COVID-19 crisis on social media and other platforms,
such information having no valid of beneficial effect on the population, and
are clearly geared to promote chaos, panic, anarchy, fear, or confusion; and
those participating in cyber incidents that make us or take advantage of the
current crisis situation to prey on the public through scams, phishing,
fraudulent emails, or other similar acts.”
Just last month, Uson also stirred controversy for posting
sentiments against Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto for initiating ways to help his
constituents affected by the coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent imposition
of the community quarantine.
But the OWWA Deputy Administrator later on denied being
against the mayor and argued that a different admin was the author of the post.
Following the social media mistake, celebrities and netizens
assembled to report Mocha Uson Blog on Facebook. Which was later on taken down by Facebook.
On the other hand, The National Bureau of Investigation earlier
requested Sotto to explain his side for allegedly violating the Bayanihan Act
for allowing the “continuous tricycle operations” in Pasig despite the ban on
public transport amid the quarantine period imposed by the national government.
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