ILOILO – A resident of Barangay Pandac, Pavia town faces a charge for violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
The 51-year-old Adelbert Pedregosa, said to be an employee of the provincial government, was arrested by the police force of Pavia on Saturday at around 6:30 p.m.
According to the police, Pedregosa would be charged with spreading “fake news.”
Pedregosa’s arrest was an offshoot of an investigation conducted by the municipal police station in coordination with the Rural Health Unit of Pavia.
The investigation centered on an alleged fake COVID-19 news on social media.
Pedregosa reportedly posted on the Facebook, “Please help me spread the news dri sa Deca Homes brgy Pandac, Pavia 30 persons listed/classified persons under monitoring all had travel history abroad, Manila and other parts of the country yet they refused to put themselves under home quarantine hambal sang brgy captain Pandac Pavia kaina sang nag estoryahanay kami kaina ni brgy captain perti ka salawayon sang mga ini wla sila naga tinir sa ila balay naga lagaw sila ya.”
The post further read: “I’m afraid if ang 1/4 sang 30 PUMs have COVID-19 after being tested malapta gid ang COVID-19 dri sa amon brgy sa Pavia kag sa bilog nga province of Iloilo. Please share this post kay Dr. Trabado and to Gov. Toto Defensor kay tindogan ko ini ya ang gin post ko, the next Italy is Deca Homes brgy Pandac, Pagka province of Iloilo.”
According to the police, Pedregosa posted these on the Facebook account name “Trebleda Asogerdep.”
The posts were not true, the police added, and caused unnecessary panic among barangay residents./PN
