MMDA’s Pialago to sue 3 Facebook pages for cyberlibel

MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago appears before the PNP-Anti-Cybercrime Group on Tuesday, October 8, 2019, to report three Facebook pages that allegedly attributed false statements to her. (Photo by Cathrine Gonzales / INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines — Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) spokesperson Celine Pialago said Tuesday she would file a cyberlibel complaint against the administrators of three Facebook pages for allegedly attributing false statements to her.

Pialago appeared before the Philippine National Police – Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) at Camp Crame in Quezon City to report the social media pages, but she said she was advised by the police to return on Wednesday to file the case.

According to her, officers of the PNP-ACG have started tracking down the administrators of the Facebook pages.

“I will be filing cyberlibel against three Facebook pages that spread fake news — fake news in a sense that they are putting words in my mouth. I never said those statements, and all of these affect all of us at the MMDA,” Pialago, speaking partly in Filipino, said in an interview with reporters.

Pialago says she will file a cyberlibel complaint against those behind 3 FB pages that allegedly quoted her for saying something similar to: “MMDA to commuters: Kung wala kayong masakyan, wag na lang kayong magtrabaho.” She denies making this statement. pic.twitter.com/zEirxjH2GX

— Cathrine Gonzales (@cgonzalesINQ) October 8, 2019

She said the three Facebook pages posted a photo of her with a quote saying something like: “MMDA to commuters: Kung wala kayong masakyan, wag na lang kayong magtrabaho.”

[If you can’t commute, just don’t go to work.]

“What government official in his right mind would say that? I never said that. So those other pages planning to smear me more, do it better because I will fight immediately,” she said.

But Pialago refused to reveal the names of the Facebook pages, who she suspects to have a single administrator.

She said police had advised her not to reveal the names so that they could better track those behind the posts.

She said she would want to pursue the case to “teach a lesson.”

“If you are using my photo bashing me, that’s fine. That’s part and parcel of my job,” she said. “If you are not satisfied with my job as MMDA spokesperson, that’s fine also. But putting words on my mouth and making it appear that I’m such an insensitive spokesperson, and making it appear that I uttered words I never said, that’s basically and technically unfair.”

/atm