Reporters who covered Bongbong Marcos' filing of his certificate of candidacy (CoC) today at the Sofitel Tent in Pasay City reported receiving "emergency alerts" supporting his bid for the presidency.
HOW was it that a text message supporting a presidential candidate was broadcast faster than a text message warning of natural disasters?
That was the question the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) must answer now as it announces a probe on the "text blasts" promoting the candidacy of Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. Wednesday (October 6).
Reporters who covered Marcos' filing of his certificate of candidacy (CoC) today at the Sofitel Tent in Pasay Cityreported receiving "emergency alerts" supporting him.
“Emergency Alert: Buong Buo ang Malasakit sa Bansa. Buong buo ang Maialay sa taong bayan. Bagong bukas na Masagana para sa masa. Babangon Muli and Pilipinas. BBM sa bansa, BBM sa taong bayan, BBM sa masa, BBM Pilipinas!” the mobile alert read.
The "emergency alert" was supposed to be used only during natural calamities such as floods and earthquakes according to Republic Act No. 10639 (Free Mobile Disaster Alerts Law), which requires that “warning messages must be hazard-specific, time-bound, and area-specific.”
The text blasts did not sit well with some netizens who had complained of "late" emergency alerts sent by the NDRRMC during recent calamities, including typhoon "Jolina" and the 5.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Metro Manila last month.
The NDRRMC has denied being behind the text alerts supporting Marcos.
“We wish to clarify that the NDRRMC does not issue this type of messages for distribution to the public through our telco partners,” NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said.
“We are consulting with our telco counterparts about this incident and so far, they have informed us that such a message did not come from them,” he added.
Tags: #2022elections, #emergencyalerts, #NDRRMC, #BongbongMarcos