PNP chief warns of fake news threat in midterms

The Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, is preparing for new challenges in the upcoming midterm elections, including misinformation and electronic vote-buying.

Marbil emphasized that traditional issues like 'guns, goons, and gold' are now joined by fake news as a significant threat to election integrity, adding police personnel involved with candidates to the list of concerns.

The PNP will work with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to address these threats and proposed solutions to combat them during the elections, starting from January 12 when the election period began.

Marbil warned about the damaging impact of fake news on voter decisions and candidate reputations, stating it could dictate election outcomes.

To maintain a non-partisan stance, Marbil said that police personnel involved in supporting politicians will face career consequences as directed by the Internal Affairs Service.

The PNP is also leading Comelec checkpoints to enforce gun bans during the election period and has intensified operations against loose firearms.