By Lane Afable, News Editor
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Acting Secretary Dave Gomez filed criminal charges Tuesday before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against individuals behind the Facebook page “Malasakit News Pilipinas” for allegedly spreading disinformation about the country’s state of national energy emergency, as the Marcos administration moves to crack down on those exploiting the oil price crisis to sow public panic.
Gomez personally appeared at the DOJ office in Manila to file the complaint, which targets the social media page’s posts falsely claiming that the government had imposed an “energy lockdown” and that a manufactured fuel shortage was imminent, fabricated narratives that the PCO said were designed to trigger panic buying and induce public hysteria over petroleum product supplies.
The PCO’s Anti-Fake News Desk identified the malicious posts, which included claims of an “energy lockdown,” a “fuel shortage,” and an “emergency lockdown,” all of which the agency described as having no basis in fact and as deliberately crafted to mislead the public and undermine the government’s crisis response communications.
“Those who fabricate and circulate disinformation, particularly those exploiting the ongoing energy challenges, will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Gomez said in an earlier statement.
Among the specific false narratives flagged by the PCO were: a fabricated “energy lockdown” designed to frighten the public into bulk-buying fuel and other petroleum products; a manufactured fuel shortage narrative intended to induce panic stockpiling; and posts framed to make the public believe that petroleum product supplies were about to be cut off—all of which the PCO said were baseless and malicious.
Gomez said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. himself directed the PCO to take swift legal action against those deliberately spreading false information during the energy emergency, stressing that disinformation in a crisis situation carries real and measurable harm to public order and economic stability.
The complaint follows a warning issued by Malacañang on Sunday, cautioning the public against spreading false information about the country’s energy situation, with the Palace making clear that deliberate disinformation would be met with criminal prosecution rather than mere administrative action.
The filing marks one of the most direct legal actions taken by the Marcos Jr. administration against online disinformation, and signals that the government intends to treat the deliberate spread of fake news during a declared national emergency as a criminal matter rather than a purely communications challenge.
The PCO said it will continue monitoring social media platforms for additional disinformation content related to the energy emergency and will not hesitate to file further complaints as warranted.
The public was also urged to rely only on official government sources for information on the state of the national energy emergency and the administration’s relief measures.
