BUTUAN CITY – Police Col. Rommel Villamor, City Director of the Butuan City Police Office, addressed rumors regarding an alleged attempted abduction of a child in Barangay Tagabaca, Butuan city.
The report claimed that a suspect in a white van tried to abduct a 9-year-old girl, which spread quickly on social media.
During a press conference held yesterday, February 24, Villamor clarified that the allegations were false, emphasizing that the investigation did not support the claims.
Villamor explained that the police immediately conducted a thorough investigation after the social media post surfaced on Friday, February 21.
The post alleged that the incident occurred around 11:30 AM, where the child was supposedly attempted to be dragged into a van. However, upon further questioning, inconsistencies were found in the statements of both the child and a witness, and the child’s grandmother.
According to Villamor, the grandmother only observed the child running and tripping but did not see any attempt to force the child into a vehicle.
Furthermore, officers spoke with the owner of the white van, a local businessman from the same barangay, who confirmed seeing the child running but strongly denied any involvement in an abduction attempt. The van owner also expressed intentions to file a case against the vlogger who spread the false information.
Villamor urged the public to verify any information before posting it online, as spreading unverified news can cause unnecessary panic. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that the information shared on social media is accurate to avoid the spread of fake news that could alarm the community.
