Ex-police vlogger arrested for seditious social media posts

Francis Steve Fontillas, a former police patrolman and tough-talking vlogger who was dismissed for criticizing top police officials over the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte, has been arrested for inciting to sedition through social media posts critical of the government.

Fontillas was taken into custody on Monday by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) in Quezon City based on a warrant issued by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 224 under charges related to the Cybercrime Prevention Act.

The NCRPO stated that Fontillas's Facebook posts from March 12 to 13 threatened to topple the government and targeted Interpol while he was in police uniform, causing unrest.

Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III emphasized that Fontillas is an isolated case within the police organization and does not represent its values or professionalism, stating that 'Well, I would like to think that Fontillas is just a very, very small exception-an aberration to the organization.'

The court recommended bail of PHP36,000 for temporary liberty of Fontillas, who was dismissed from service on May 8 by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) for grave misconduct and disloyalty to the government.