FIGHT VS. FAKE NEWS. Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan (center) vows to implement the order of President Rodrigo Duterte to run against rumor-mongers who are sowing misinformation about the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Chan was among the local chief executives who attended a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on Monday (Feb. 10, 2020) to discuss measures to prevent the entry and spread of the new coronavirus strain. (PNA file photo)
CEBU CITY – Mayor Junard Chan of Lapu-Lapu City on Tuesday said he will strictly implement the order of President Rodrigo Duterte to impose a crackdown against rumor-mongers that spread fake news about the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
Chan said he joined other local chief executives from other towns and cities in the country in a meeting with the President at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on Monday where the latter discussed his directives on how to contain the viral disease in their respective locality.
“President Duterte really made it a point to contain another virus, and that is fake news. He really wants that cases should be filed against those makers of the fake news,” he said in a radio interview.
Chan said the mayors clearly understood the intention of the Chief Executive in putting an end to the proliferation of unverified information about the 2019-nCoV that creates panic and hysteria among the people.
The mayor urged his constituents not to listen to unconfirmed reports and to only believe advisories that are officially released by the Department of Health (DOH).
“Our IT (information technology) Department is monitoring posts in Facebook about our city of Lapu-Lapu and how are our residents giving comments regarding the new coronavirus. And we will make exceptions to the posts that may cause panic,” Chan said in Cebuano.
He said he will file appropriate charges against those who are spreading rumors about the disease.
Meanwhile, Chan said the city has “zero” record of person under investigation (PUI), despite the fact that it hosts the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
He said all of the individuals placed under contact-tracing due to the three cases of 2019-nCoV in the country who all entered Cebu through the airport were found negative of flu-like symptoms.
“So far, the more than 60 Chinese nationals that arrived at the Mactan airport were held and those personnel who may have had direct contact with them were traced and they reported they don’t have the symptoms,” Chan said.
Chan said the city tourism officer, Edward Mendez, has also required hotels and resorts to submit an incident command plan (ICP) as a measure to be implemented in case of virus contamination. (PNA)
