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Quarantine extension, military control 'all fake news,' says CabSec Nograles


Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles on Friday denied information circulating online that the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine will be extended beyond April 12 and that public markets will be closed.

Interviewed on Dobol B sa News TV, Nograles also said there is no truth to the information that the country will be put under military control as it battles the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

"Gusto ko linawin, lahat 'yan fake news. Huwag tayo maniwala sa fake news na 'yan," he said.

Information regarding a military takeover circulated following the appointment of Carlito Galvez Jr., the current Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, as “chief implementer” of the government’s national policy against COVID-19.

Galvez is a former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief.

Nograles reminded the public that all official announcements regarding the quarantine and efforts against COVID-19 will be coming from President Rodrigo Duterte, the Department of Health (DOH), and the  Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Diseases, for which he is the spokesperson.

"Wala tayong ina-announce na any extension [ng quarantine]. Gusto nga natin mapabilis ito," he said.

Nograles said the police and the National Bureau of Investigation are "working overtime" to unmask those spreading the fake news and file charges against them.

"Hindi na maganda ito eh. Hindi na nakakatuwa at hindi na nakakatawa," he said.

Malacañang also earlier denied rumors circulating on social media that Duterte will impose a nationwide lockdown in the coming days to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Spreading false information regarding the COVID-19 crisis on social media and other platforms is one of the punishable acts under the new law that gave Duterte additional powers to effectively curb the threat of the virus.

However, groups have raised concerns about the anti-fake news provision, which they said could be used by government officials to punish those with legitimate criticisms amid the COVID-19 threat.

On Thursday, the Philippine National Police said it had filed charges against four people for allegedly spreading false reports amid the public health emergency. --with Virgil Lopez/KBK, GMA News

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