The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed charges against a vlogger based in Cebu City for allegedly spreading misleading content online that falsely portrayed NBI Director Jaime Santiago as threatening overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
The vlogger’s post, which showed Santiago holding a microphone alongside the caption “Bagong pananakot sa mga OFW,” sparked online outrage and even calls to stop remittances. The NBI clarified that Santiago’s statements were taken out of context and manipulated to appear as though he was targeting OFWs in general.
Director Santiago explained in an ABS-CBN News report that his remarks were specifically referring to vloggers—regardless of their location—who have pending legal issues.
“I was interviewed about ‘yung mga vlogger na, sabi ko, ‘yung mga vlogger na nasa abroad, o eh di pagbalik nila dito, may warrant pa rin sila, arestuhin namin sila,” Santiago said.
“‘Yun namang mga nandito, pagka nafile-an namin sila ng kaso, arestuhin namin sila,” he added.
The manipulated clip also featured inflammatory remarks such as, “Bakit sa’yo po ba ang Pilipinas? Bakit kayo ganyan sa mga nakakatulong sa ekonomiya ng bansa?”—which Santiago said fueled misinformation and public anger.
“Biglang binago na. Ayan, tinatakot ko daw ang mga OFW. ‘Yung mga OFW naman na hindi nalalaman ang tunay na pangyayari, nagalit na sakin,” he said.
“At sabi na, wala nang remittance, huwag natin sundin ang gobyerno. That is inciting to sedition. Kinukuha nila ‘yung galit para magalit sa gobyerno.”
The NBI emphasized that altering content to provoke unrest is a criminal act. The vlogger now faces charges of inciting to sedition, unlawful use of means of publication, and unlawful utterances under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
