Bayan Muna urges DICT, NTC to probe emergency alerts favoring Bongbong Marcos

Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate and chairman Neri Colmenares urged Wednesday the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to probe the emergency alerts favoring former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

After Marcos filed his certificate of candidacy for president for the 2022 elections at the Harbor Garden Tent at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila in Pasay City, various cellphone users in the area received an emergency alert which said:

"Buong Buo and Malasakit sa Bansa. Buong Buhay and Maialay sa taong bayan. Bagong Bukas na Masagana para sa masa. Babangon Muli ang Pilipinas (V) BBM sa bansa. BBM sa taong bayan, BBM sa Masa... BBM Pilipinas   #BBM2022."

Marcos lost the 2016 vice presidential race against then Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo.

According to Zarate, the emergency alert for Bongbong casts serious doubt on the integrity of the system, which people are supposed to rely on for life-saving information.

"Aside from the NTC and the DICT, Congress should also probe this underhanded style of campaigning," Zarate said.

Colmenares, who is eyeing a Senate seat, said "if Marcos indeed hijacked the airwaves to campaign, then their greed to return to Malacañang by hook or by crook should really be stopped."

"If they indeed hijacked the Bayan Muna-authored law for emergency alerts,  then they should be investigated. When we authored the bill my intention was to help save lives, not to be used for vested personal interest of politicians," Colmenares said.

"Kung totoo ito, di lang ill-gotten wealth ang kaso, ill-gotten airwaves din pala," he added.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) clarified that it did not issue the message for distribution through its telecommunication partners.

The NDRRMC has been issuing emergency alerts in times of natural calamities such as earthquakes and typhoons.

"Our usage of the emergency mobile alerts system only follows the prescription of RA 10639 or the Free Mobile Disaster Alerts Law which requires that warning messages must be hazard-specific, time-bound and area-specific. Emergency notifications issued today by the NDRRMC are only about rainfall warnings due to the current weather disturbance and nothing else," NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said.

Timbal said the NDRRMC has already coordinated with telco firms regarding this matter and they said the message did not come from them as well.

"We trust that the National Telecommunications Commission will be looking into this matter. Our people can be assured that the NDRRMC reserves the use of its warning systems for their mandated purpose only, that is to provide proper and timely warning to our people regarding natural hazards," Timbal said.

The NTC said it has ordered an immediate investigation into the incident.

“The [NTC] commissioner has directed our regulation branch to investigate itong nangyaring pagpapadala ng emergency alert na hindi naman emergency [this sending an emergency alert, when it's not actually an emergency],” NTC Deputy Commissioner Edgardo Cabarios told GMA News Online.

He said the NTC has already coordinated with telcos and asked them whether the emergency alert went through their networks.

“But, according to them, walang ganun na naipadala na emergency alert kasi ‘pagka emergency alam nila eh. Ang emergency alert manggagaling lang sa NRRMC [National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council] ‘yan so they would know, so walang ganun, according to them,” he said.

(According to them, no such emergency alert coursed through them. An emergency alert originates only from the NDRRMC so they would know, but there is none, according to them.)

The NTC executive said the emergency alert may have come from the illegal operation of “portable cell sites.”

For the part of the Commission on Elections, spokesperson Director James Jimenez noted that under the Philippine electoral law, there is actually no penalty for the use of emergency channels for campaign purposes.

"However, it can be safely assumed that the emergency alert system operates under a set of guidelines, and it can be further assumed that such guidelines would prohibit the use of the emergency alert system for anything other than emergencies," Jimenez told reporters.

He, however, emphasized that the use of the emergency alert system for political propaganda purposes can be deemed as ill-advised, at best.

"Whether or not criminal liability will attach to those who are behind this move will have to be determined by the appropriate agencies of government," Jimenez said.

GMA News Online sought comment from Marcos' camp regarding the matter but it has yet to respond as of posting time.—AOL, GMA News