THE Presidential Communications Office (PCO) has asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to evaluate and file appropriate charges against four Facebook accounts for allegedly spreading false claims that the Supreme Court had stopped the arrest of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
The PCO’s Anti-Fake News Desk (AFND) said the posts falsely claimed that the high court had issued a ruling preventing authorities from arresting or surrendering dela Rosa to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“The Supreme Court, in fact, denied Senator Dela Rosa’s petition for a temporary restraining order to stop his arrest on the basis of a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC),” the AFND said in its narrative report submitted to the DOJ on Monday.
The endorsement covers Facebook accounts and pages identified as KaChizmaze, Booc TVs, Cris Lademora, and Lenny Quirz/Linie Quirong.
According to the PCO, the accounts posted substantially similar content claiming the Supreme Court had “officially stopped” any attempt to arrest dela Rosa, presenting the information as legitimate news through phrases such as “JUST IN,” “Breaking News,” “landmark ruling,” and “The Court clearly stated.”
The agency said the posts generated thousands of reactions, comments and shares, with some social media users asking whether the claim was true and others calling for efforts to stop dela Rosa’s arrest.
The PCO said the matter was referred to the DOJ for possible violations of Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended by Republic Act (RA) 10951, in relation to Section 6 of RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
PCO Secretary Dave Gomez reiterated the administration’s campaign against disinformation, warning content creators against fabricating court decisions and presenting them as factual reports.
“We warn vloggers and users of social media platforms: do not exploit public confusion for views, engagement, or monetization by spreading false news.
Fabricating a Supreme Court ruling and presenting it as news is a serious offense,” Gomez said.
