BACOLOD CITY: The local government unit (LGU) of EB Magalona in Negros Occidental has warned the public against the false, malicious and misleading Facebook posts containing erroneous information on celebrity performers for the 35th Ugyonan Festival, a major fiesta in the municipality.

The EB Magalona local government said in a statement that it would be filing cyber libel charges against any persons found to be the sources of deceitful and misleading information, as well as those who shared or reposted the fake news.

As an initial step, Mayor Marvin Malacon has sought the assistance of concerned government agencies in tracing the identity of the spreaders of fake news and filing appropriate charges against them.

The mayor said two of these individuals had been identified as working in the municipal government as job-order employees and were terminated from their work immediately.

Appropriate charges will also be filed against them, Malacon added.

The municipal government is gathering screenshots of Facebook posts containing similar malicious posts to identify the other offenders.

The fake Facebook posts started circulating on social media on April 2 after the Public Information Office (PIO) posted two posters announcing that celebrities Super Tekla, Donita Nose and rapper Nik Makino will be performing in the 35th Ugyonan Festival.

Several netizens then posted fake posters announcing other celebrities purportedly performing at the festival. These included Arthur Nery, Taylor Swift, Hev Abi and Flow G, and the Vivamax artists.

These fake posters bear the official seal of the Municipality of EB Magalona and the official logo of the 35th Ugyonan Festival.

"These fake posts created confusion among the public and damaged the integrity of our official Facebook page as to the veracity of the information we post on our official page," the statement said.

In the Philippines, cyber libel is governed primarily by Republic Act 10175, also known as the "Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012."

The law penalizes libel committed through a computer system or other similar means that may be devised, expanding the scope of traditional libel as defined under Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code.

"We urge the public to remain vigilant against fraudulent posts and keep in mind that the official schedule of events and the list of artists and/or performers for the 35th Ugyonan Festival shall only be posted on the official social media platforms of the Municipality of EB Magalona," the statement said.

It also said that the three official Facebook pages of the LGU are the Saravia-EB Magalona's official FB, Tumandok EB Magalona-duly recognized FB and Ugyon Saraviahanon-duly recognized FB.

"The municipal government of EB Magalona is vehemently against the spreading of false information and determined to initiate necessary legal action against individuals who continue to spread fake posts and misleading information that use the official seal of the municipality of EB Magalona and the official logo of the 35th Ugyonan Festival," the statement added.