SAN Juan City Police chief Col. Deodennis Joy Marmol has denied the Greenhills Chinese restaurant robbery and stabbing last Friday, categorizing it as fake news.
The PNP is conducting a thorough investigation to identify the people behind the spread of false information about the supposed robbery at Lugang Café.
Marmol said that a social media post claimed that robbers allegedly attacked the Greenhills Mall branch of Lugang Café on May 23. During the incident, a female customer was reportedly stabbed by one of the suspects after refusing to hand over her phone.
The post also linked the robbery to another incident that occurred at a high-end Japanese restaurant on Arnaiz Ave. in Makati City last May 5.
In a statement, Lugang Café refuted the claims, stating that no such incident occurred in any of its branches and dismissed the social media post as fake news.
“We are aware of a text message currently circulating about an alleged robbery at our Lugang Café O’Square Greenhills branch. We would like to assure everyone that this information is FALSE,” the statement said.
“The Joint Anti-Fake News Action Committee (Jafnac) is conducting a thorough investigation to trace the origin of the disinformation,” PNP Public Information Office (PIO) chief Col. Randulf Tuaño said.
The PNP said it will file “appropriate charges against those responsible for initiating and spreading the false claim.”
PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil warned people against spreading false information on social media.
“We urge everyone to be responsible in the use of social media,” said Marbil.
“Spreading unverified and false information not only causes public alarm but also undermines the trust in our law enforcement and community institutions. The PNP will not hesitate to file appropriate charges and ensure that those who deliberately spread fake news will be held accountable under the law,” said Marbil.
In a statement, the PNP reiterated its commitment to “peace and truth.”
“The public is strongly advised to rely only on verified sources of information, including the official pages of the Philippine National Police,” the PNP said. – With Christian Oineza
