TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines- A fake page of Cagayan Provincial Information Office (CPIO) circulated on Facebook on Wednesday night, November 8.
The page, which bore almost identical likeness to CPIO’s page, has since been taken down as of Thursday, November 9, after being reported for violating FB’s ‘Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.’
The fake page was able to garner more than 1,500 likes compared to the authentic CPIO page which has already 160,000 likes and followers.
It also posted a misleading advisory that classes have been suspended on Thursday, contrary to the announcement of CPIO.
The said page was discovered early Wednesday night, at the height of public anticipation over advisories from the office of the governor regarding status of classes for the next day.
Information Officer Rogelio Sending told the public to avoid sharing and liking the said page “to prevent confusion and bringing inconvenience to our fellow Cagayanos who are in need and deserving of factual and prompt news and advisories.”
“We encourage all to REPORT this Page to FB immediately and advise your friends to more keen and responsible in sharing to avoid falling victim to fake news,” they added.
CPIO said the “heartless people” responsible for the page “are going to risk the lives of Cagayanos in the future” especially in times of major calamities.
“We are taking legal actions na po. We are now currently in coordination with our partners in NBI. Paperworks will push through tomorrow,” CPIO said in a comment online. Northernforum.net
