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CEBU CITY — Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) arrested a political vlogger from Oslob town, Cebu, on March 20 for allegedly spreading fake news through a manipulated social media post that misrepresented a statement by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
NBI-7 Regional Director Renan Augustus Oliva identified the suspect as Wendelyn Apduhan Magalso, 30, a resident of Sitio Bombil, Barangay Lagunde.
Operatives apprehended her after discovering an altered version of a March 14 news post by TV5 News Network Inc. circulating on social me-dia.
The modified content falsely inserted a line into the President's statement: "Gumawa tayo ng batas na gawing legal ang droga sa ating bansa (Let us create a law that will legalize drugs in our country)."
"Legal na daw ang droga grabe ka nanam Marcos ngayon harapin mo lahat nang hamon kong makakabalik ka pa pagka looy sa mga inosente (They say drugs are now legal — Marcos, you've gone too far. Now face all the challenges I throw your way, if you can still make a comeback. What a pity for the innocent ones)," Magalso included in a caption of her post.
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The original TV5 post quoted President Marcos as saying: "Sa laban kontra droga at krimen, hindi natin kailangan dumaan sa madugong so-lusyon. Walang naniniwala na ang solusyon sa krimen at droga ay pumatay ng libu-libong kapwa Pilipino. Hindi tama 'yun. Ang tamang paraan para tiyakin ang kapayapaan at kaayusan ay sa pamamagitan ng maayos na batas (In the fight against drugs and crime, we do not need to resort to bloody solutions. No one believes that the answer to crime and drugs is to kill thousands of fellow Filipinos. That is not right. The proper way to ensure peace and order is through just and proper laws)."
The network also issued an advisory warning the public of the manipulated post.
NBI agents launched an investigation, conducted cyber patrols and coordinated with Facebook to trace the origin of the post.
They identified Magalso as the account owner and arrested her shortly afterward.
During a videoconference with NBI Director Judge Jaime Santiago, Magalso admitted to posting the altered content.
"Content creator lang po ako. Hindi ko po intensiyon (I'm just a content creator. I have no intention [of offending or causing harm])," she said.
She also said she created the post to attract attention and earn money.
She explained that she added a caption to draw notice, hoping it would help her earn income since her husband was the only one support-ing her.
She expressed remorse and apologized to President Marcos during her interview with authorities.
Santiago warned that the bureau would take firm action against individuals who spread disinformation online.
He emphasized that such acts, especially those that manipulate public perception through fake news, would not be tolerated.
NBI-7 will charge Magalso with violating Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code (Illegal Use of Publication) in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
If found guilty, she could face imprisonment of six months and one day to six years, and a fine ranging from P40,000 to P200,000.
The case has sparked renewed efforts to combat misinformation.
At the national level, the House of Representatives continues its inquiry into the spread of fake news, particularly in the wake of former president Rodrigo Duterte's arrest and handover to the International Criminal Court.
