TikTok user in hot water for burning money

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has filed a complaint against a TikTok user for allegedly burning a twenty peso bill in his video, according to Joseph Morong’s report over “24-oras” on Wednesday.

The BSP said the viral video online is a violation of Presidential Decree No. 247 which prohibits the defacing, mutilating, tearing, or partially burning or destroying our currency.

Any person found to have violated the law shall pay a fine of not more than P20,000 and/or by imprisonment of not more than five years.

The TikTok user, in his video, burned a twenty peso bill and then used this to light up a bottle of liquor.

“’Yung corresponding bank note at ‘yung coin ay pagmamay-ari ng Republika ng Pilipinas. Naka-receive siya ng maraming backlash from the public (kaya) pi-null-out niya agad,” Atty. Mark Fajardo, Senior Investigation Officer of BSP, said.

(The corresponding banknote and the coin belong to the Republic of the Philippines. He received a lot of backlash from the public that is why he pulled out immediately.)

After the surveillance and coordination with the barangay, the BSP and the Philippine National Police (PNP) already identified the man who uploaded the video.

“Napag-tagni-tagni po in terms of the location, the whereabouts, kung saan siya nakatira at ‘yung identity ng tao. And may mga validations po na ginagawa,” said Dickenson Gamalo of BSP-Quezon City.

(We identify the person in terms of the location, his whereabouts, where he lives. And there are validations being done.)

Aside from violating PD 247, the suspect would face charges for violations of Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code against unlawful utterances and Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2022.

“Kahit sa social media maaari tayong makapag-commit ng mga ganitong violations. Wala po kayong takas,” Gamalo stressed.

(Even if violations are committed in social media, you cannot escape.) -- Mel Matthew Doctor/BAP, GMA News