TALAVERA, Nueva Ecija – Sangguniang kabataan (SK) councilor and a tricycle driver were arrested for allegedly peddling false information through social media that the husband of Mayor Nerivi Santos-Martinez died of Covid-19 in Barangay Andal Aliño here Monday.
Lt. Col. Alexie Desamito, town police chief, identified the suspects as SK councilor Michael Ramos, 25, and Billy Arimbuyutan, 26, tricycle driver, both of the said village.
Desamito said the arrest stemmed from a complaintfiled by Martinez because of the suspects’ alleged posting of fake news that connected her husband’s death to the feared Covid-19 pandemic.
The post read: “attention please my ncov po ang asawa ni neriv covid19 kinamatay ng asawa nya wag po lumapit kay neriv santos dilikado payan dapat i quartine po yan pakalat kalat pa po sa kalsada pakishare po para malaman ng taga talavera.“
“That said post brought extreme anxiety on the part of the victim and other citizens,” Desamito said.
Martinez’s husband succumbed to cancer a couple of weeks ago.
The suspects are now facing charges of violation of Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code and Republic Acts 10175 and 11496, police said.
