White van involved in abducting children ‘fake news,’ PNP spox Banac says

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday said news about a viral white van allegedly being used to abduct children for organ harvesting are "fake news."

"[N]ais nating pabulaanan ang kumakalat na fake news na ito at wala po itong katotohanan. Mula pa noong 2016, na observe na natin ang fake news na ito,"  PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Bernard Banac said in an ambush interview.

In a statement, Banac said that based on the results of cyber patrolling and open source investigations of the PNP-Anti Cybercrime Group, no reported abductions regarding a white van were "lodged in police stations and news networks."

Banac also underscored that the viral video of the alleged abduction of a 10-year-old boy in Bulacan is fake as the boy's father claimed that he only ran away from home.

"[H]is father, Rodolfo, has appeared before the City Police Station... he said the boy had ran away from home on three separate occasions in the past and the scars on his belly were from a medical procedure back in 2016," Banac said.

The spokesman also cited a report by the PNP-ACG which discovered that a teenage girl was not abducted but was a runway who inflicted injuries to herself.

According to Banac, the only validated kidnapping reports are related to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and casinos.

"Maliban diyan wala naman tayong natatatanggap na mga ulat na validated na may kinukuhang mga bata gamit ang puting van," he added.

Banac also assured the public not to worry as the kidnapping cases are being validated and investigated by police authorities.

PNP also gave a list of countermeasures to the public:

• Continue to be vigilant in their surroundings specially during night time and in secluded places
• Immediate report similar incidents to the nearest Police stations for appropriate Police response
• Do not disseminate unconfirmed reports to chatgroups or social media accounts which may cause fear and panic
• Help suppress fake news by immediately reporting the post and the poster especially those that may cause public unrest

Banac further warned netizens or social media users to be responsible in their use of social media platforms to avoid being hacked.

"The public tend to immediately share such kind of unverified information to warn their loved ones however, they are unintentionally helping the spreading of fear to the public," Banac said. 

"[S]a kaka share natin, kaka post ng mga fake news na ito ay maaaring ma-open natin 'yung mga embeded na mga accounts at maaaring ma-control po ang ating mga personal accounts," he added. — RSJ, GMA News