MANILA, Philippines — A harsh Facebook post that a Quezon City official insists that news site Rappler quoted "maliciously" as him threatening people with a "shoot-to-kill" policy is not an isolated one.
Quezon City Task Force Disiplina head Rannie Ludovica has a separate post with a similar threat that he has not taken down yet.
In a Facebook post published on Sunday, August 2, and has not yet been taken down, Ludovica writes in Filipino: "How can we expect COVID not to increase, look at these irresponsible residents from Brgy. Everlasting Street of Brgy. Holy Spirit?"
"Dapat sa inyo p.....t yin (You should be killed)."
The following day, he posted: "Starting tomorrow, shoot-to-kill is what will happen to all violators of the MECQ."
The former Quezon City councilor has also posted photos of him "monitoring" protest actions at the University of the Philippines campus.
In his apology, Ludovica said that Rappler "maliciously based [his] personal Facebook post to claim that the city government gave a formal order."
"My personal Facebook post came out of my dismay that we were going from GCQ to MECQ," he wrote.
The Rappler report did not actually say that the city had such a policy.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte condemned the posts at a Palace press briefing, caling Ludovica's comments "wrong, inappropriate and irresponsible."
She stressed, however, that: "While it's wrong and irresponsible, Ludovica apologized. This isn't a city policy, and he promised it wouldn't happen again. I understand where he's coming from as a fellow enforcer."
READ: DILG: Shoot-to-kill threat vs quarantine violators 'illegal'
The Department of Interior and Local Government in May encouraged the public to report police, barangay or LGU officials who may be abusive when enforcing quarantine protocols. The department has also already sounded off on the posts, saying "shoot to kill" is illegal.
"Some [local governments] have fines, some of them have imprisonment. You have to look at the ordinance itself...If the penalties imposed are within the bounds of law, then you have to follow that," DILG spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in May.
Quezon City does not have a shoot-to-kill policy.
In an earlier statement issued July 20, the Quezon City local government also said: "Any abuses done while enforcing national and city safeguard measures shall be dealt with severely and prosecuted to the utmost extent of the law."
Quezon City Task Force Disiplina also figured in another controversy earlier in the quarantine when four of its village watchmen and tanods were caught on video beating a man with a stick for not wearing a face mask and not having a quarantine pass.
Of the four enforcers caught on tape, only one was removed from service. — with a report from Gaea Katreena Cabico
Disclosure: Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is a shareholder of Philstar Global Corp., which operates digital news outlet Philstar.com. This article was produced following editorial guidelines.