Suspect claimed a Pavia subdivision was ‘the next Italy’

An employee of the Iloilo provincial government was arrested over the weekend in Pavia’s Barangay Pandac for allegedly spreading “fake news” about the coronavirus disease, or Covid-19. Authorities identified the arrested as 51-year-old Adelbert Pedregosa of the said neighborhood.
According to police, the suspect published a social media post under the name “Trebleda Asogerdep” claiming 30 residents of a subdivision in Pavia who were under monitoring for the coronavirus refused to quarantine themselves.
He went on to liken the subdivision as “the next Italy” and encouraged the public to share the post in order to gain attention from government officials, namely, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, Jr. and Provincial Health Office head, Dr. Patricia Grace S. Trabado.
Pedregosa is currently detained at the Pavia Municipal Police Station and faces charges in violation of RA 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
In response to the case, Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) launched a hotline in order for the public to report fake news about the coronavirus.
PRO-6 spokesperson, Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, recently revealed the new numbers: 0999-558-7914, 0999-995-5072, 0998-598-6101, and 0998-996-7112.
“We launched these hotline numbers to address and run after those who are spreading fake news on Covid-19,” the law enforcement official said./WDJ