MANILA (UPDATE) - Authorities in the Philippine capital city of Manila are looking for a suspected foreign national who allegedly defecated publicly in the historic Intramuros area, the city's public information office said Sunday.

The administration of the walled area, however, said they were still verifying whether the incident was true.

The Manila City PIO said in a tweet that Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso has issued the order to the chief of the Manila Police District Special Mayor's Reaction Team, Police Maj. Rosalino Ibay, Jr.

"The Mayor has also directed Department of Tourism, Culture and Arts of Manila (DTCAM) chief Charlie Dungo to coordinate with the Intramuros Administration (IA) regarding the incident," it added.

Moreno made the order to the police after photos of the suspected foreigner allegedly defecating made the rounds on social media.

The IA, meanwhile, said they are trying to get in touch with the social media user who posted the photo of the incident.

The IA added that upon checking the site that was photographed, "no waste was seen."

"No verified report. We are trying to get in touch with the one who posted this but he is not responding," the IA said in a statement.

"We are concerned that instead of calling [the] attention of [the] guard who is posted there, if true, the one who posted it is using this for anti-Chinese sentiment," the administration added.

The Anti-Littering Law or Metro Manila Development Authority Regulation No. 96-009 prohibits and penalizes urinating, defecating, or spitting in a public place.

A historic site dating back to the Spanish colonization era, Intramuros is a key tourist destination in the capital.

Since becoming Manila City mayor in 2019, Moreno has sought to clean up the city and change the people's sanitary practices. While others praised his initiatives, some criticize it as superficial. -- With a report from Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News