Makati mulls filing complaint vs content creator over misleading post

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Makati Mayor Abby Binay has directed the city’s law department to study the filing of appropriate complaints against the administrators of a Facebook page that released a “malicious and misleading” post that could have tarnished the city’s reputation.

Those who shared the post might also face complaints, the Makati government said on Thursday.

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Last Tuesday, social media page Streetlife Manila posted a photo of a clamped motorcycle with a caption: “Naputulan ng kadena si Manong Angkas, itinabi niya saglit, imbes na tulungan sana, Clamp at Ticket ang binigay ng enforcer.” (Manong Angkas parked his motorcycle by the roadside when the chain broke, but instead of helping him, the enforcer clamped his vehicle and issued a ticket.)

The city government clarified that the photo was taken in 2022.

“Streetlife Manila is maliciously spreading fake news and disinformation on social media,” Binay said

“The malicious post has gone viral and elicited harsh comments against the city from netizens,” she added.

Binay also clarified that the person in the photo was a traffic enforcer from the Makati Parking Authority (MAPA), a private corporation authorized to enforce traffic and parking regulations within the Makati Central Business District, not from the city’s Public Safety Department.

Based on the investigation, one of the MAPA traffic enforcers passed by the abandoned motorcycle on the sidewalk and promptly clamped it. The enforcer then asked another enforcer to wait for the driver’s return.

They later learned that the driver went to buy spare parts to replace the broken chain, and the MAPA enforcers proceeded to remove the clamp and no longer issued him a violation ticket.

“Contrary to the caption on the post, the driver was given due consideration for his predicament and was not even issued an ordinance violation receipt,” Binay said.

“Digital content creators should be prudent and responsible.  In pursuing social media clout, this Facebook page has resorted to spreading false information and exposed our officials and employees to online abuse and harassment,” she said.