The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Sunday strongly condemned the alleged use of the Emergency Cell Broadcast System (ECBS) for political campaigning, warning that such misuse is not only “highly inappropriate” but also dangerous.
The ECBS is designed to deliver life-saving alerts during emergencies such as earthquakes, typhoons, and other imminent threats to public safety. The OCD emphasized that exploiting the system for political messaging severely undermines its purpose.
“Using it for political purposes undermines its crucial role and could desensitize the public to genuine emergency alerts, potentially endangering lives,” the OCD said in a statement.
The agency responded to reports from several provinces where residents claimed they received ECBS messages urging them to vote for specific candidates. The alerts reportedly mimicked urgent notifications, sowing confusion among recipients.
“These messages, designed to mimic urgent emergency notifications, create confusion and may lead to complacency during real crises,” the OCD said.
Telecommunications providers Globe Telecom and Smart Communications have both confirmed that they do not authorize the use of the ECBS for anything other than genuine emergency alerts.
The OCD has referred the incident to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and is now working with relevant agencies to track down those responsible for the misuse.
“The misuse of this system for political gain is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” the agency stressed.
The OCD also urged the public to report any suspicious or improper use of the ECBS to help preserve the integrity of the emergency system.
“Together, we can protect the integrity of our emergency alert systems and ensure they serve their intended purpose — keeping the public safe,” it added.
