Bato urges public: Don't spread unverified info in wake of Davao blast

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga - Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa urged the public not to spread unverified information in the wake of a blast that killed at least 14 people in Davao City last week, even as he assured that the police is processing all reports as a potential source of leads.

"We are treating all information whether basura yan o whether valuable yan, tinitreat namin yan, pare-pareho, hindi namin yan dinidisregard as hoax agad," Dela Rosa said in a press conference before merong officials of Police Regional Office 3.

"We are addressing that information, we are addressing that intelligence properly," he added.

He said one of the supposed threats they received states that a female suicide bomber would embrace him or President Rodrigo Duterte and then would detonate the bomb.

"Ang impormasyon sa amin suicide bombing, yayakapin ako ng naka-vest ng bomba na babae, nakasuot ng makapal na damit," he said.

Another police official, who refused to be named, said the threats have other versions such as bombing of malls in Metro Manila and malls in Cebu.

The supposed threats are being shared now through social media sites.

Dela Rosa said they treat the threats as "very serious kaya nga namin pinagtuunan ng pansin."

"Ang sa amin naman, lahat ng pumapasok sa amin hindi namin kaagad dini-dismiss as hoax, talagang tinitreat namin yan at pinaprocess. Talagang bina-validate kung tutuo kasi sayang naman mamaya tutuo yan," he said.

He added that yet-to-be validated threats are not supposed to be disseminated to the public and instead only meant to inform the lower units.

"In-ispread lang namin sa aming lower units para aware sila about the information... We are not dismissing it kaya naman na-disseminate sa ibaba, para sa amin lang sana, hindi para sa public. Not for public consumption, e kinuha ninyo, binalita nyo, e sige na lang," he said.

And since the PNP is verifying and acting on the information, Dela Rosa appealed to the public not to sow panic when sharing the supposed threats.

"As I have said we are working on that. Magtiwala lang kayo sa kapulisan ninyo kahit nalusutan tayo. I am appealing to the public, 'pag kayo ay nakatanggap ng ganyan at hindi naman galing sa PNP ay 'wag na ninyong ikalat," he said.

"Hindi na nga kayo nakakatulong sa pag-preempt eh nag-co-cause pa kayo ng panic kaya wag n'yo nang i-forward," he added. —JST, GMA News