MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives on Thursday warned the public against a “malicious” social media account using the seal of the lower chamber.

House of Representatives Secretary General Atty. Jose Luis G. Montales said a Twitter account using the handle @house_files “has been posting false information on the COVID-19 crisis” while using the official seal of the lower chamber as its profile photo.

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Montales said that the account is also “directly messaging users to deliberately cause panic, fear, and confusion.”

“These acts clearly violate Republic Act No. 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act of 2020 and Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012,” Montales said in a statement.

The Twitter handle of the said account has since been changed to @congresstita, said Montales.

Montales reminded the public that the official Twitter account of the House is @HouseofRepsPH.

“The House is closely coordinating with authorities to identify the perpetrators behind this malicious Twitter account. We shall prosecute the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law,” Montales said.

“The Philippine government is ensuring that the public shall receive only accurate and relevant information on its efforts against COVID-19. Let us be vigilant and consider information only from verified and authentic sources,” he added.

GSG

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