PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — The Puerto Princesa City Police Office has warned residents here against proliferating unfounded stories on social media after a 21-year-old woman’s rape claim was found to be fabricated upon investigation.

The PPCPO made the statement following investigations conducted on the alleged rape complaint filed a certain alias Gemma on 2 March which resulted to the admission of the supposed victim that the story was indeed made-up.

Police Captain Maria Victoria Iquin, spokesperson for the city police, explained that Gemma’s story about being raped by three men she rode with in a tricycle on that day was entirely made up because she simply wanted to gain her neglectful husband’s attention.

She added that the problem was that her story already spread through radio reports and was disseminated on social media, which sparked concern from both the PPCPO and local government authorities.

Iquin said this is despite the fact that Gemma’s live-in partner initially reported her as missing because she was not answering his calls.

“The man became alarmed because his wife was missing. The calls are getting cut off, and she’s not answering,” Iquin said.

She added that when Gemma was found late at night on the same day and subsequently transported to officials at Barangay Sta. Monica, she purportedly recounted an incident where one of the men allegedly made her smell something, resulting in her loss of consciousness.

But an investigation by the Women and Children Protection Desk at Police Station 2 confirmed that her statements to barangay authorities were entirely fabricated.

“She just made up the story; she just wanted to get her husband’s attention. In the investigation, she said it’s like she’s the only one, as if her live-in partner didn’t care,” Iquin said.

“In the ongoing investigation of the WCPD of Police Station 2, alias Gemma admitted that all her statements to the authorities were purely fabricated or untrue,” she added.

Iquin cautioned against the dissemination of false information, emphasizing the legal repercussions and the undue stress it places on law enforcement.

She said that those who make up stories could potentially face charges of causing alarm and scandal, particularly when such actions impose additional burdens on authorities, disrupting their regular operations.

“There’s liability for that, they could be charged with alarm and scandal,” Iquin said.