Masbate residents get emergency alert for Kho campaign

On Thursday, April 3, residents of Masbate received emergency cellular alert messages urging them to vote for Kho family members running in the May 12 polls.

Christian Dometia Zaragoza reported that the alerts caused confusion and panic among office workers who thought they were receiving warnings about natural disasters.

Zaragoza questioned the use of emergency alerts for political campaigns, citing concerns over data privacy and public safety.

Masbate 1st District Representative Richard Kho denied involvement in the misuse of the Emergency Cell Broadcasting System (EBCS) and stressed that such actions violate the law.

The Office of Civil Defense condemned the abuse of EBCS for political purposes, warning it could desensitize the public to genuine emergencies.

Globe Telecom and Smart Communications confirmed they do not use ECBS for non-emergency messages and have reported the case to the National Telecommunications Commission for investigation.