The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced on Friday that it has prohibited its personnel from posting photos or videos of official operations on social media in a personal capacity. The move follows public backlash over a viral video involving a Quezon City police officer.

MMDA Chairperson Don Artes made the announcement during a press conference, stating that the agency will now institutionalize the dissemination of operational content.

“We are prohibiting personal posts about operations. From now on, only the MMDA will post about our clearing operations, whether in pictures or videos,” Artes said in Filipino. 

He added that he had already signed the regulation the day prior. “We’re not restricting personal content. What we are regulating is the posting of work-related content, especially implementation activities.”

The policy change comes in the wake of a controversial incident involving MMDA Special Operations Group Strike Force head Gabriel Go. Go faced criticism after a video showed him allegedly berating Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Capt. Mann Erik Felipe for illegal parking during a clearing operation.

The footage, which was filmed and uploaded by a vlogger known as “Dada Koo,” quickly went viral, sparking online debate and drawing the ire of National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner Ralph Calinisan.

“There’s no need to shame cops for clicks,” said Calinisan, who publicly rebuked Go for the incident.

Go later appeared alongside Calinisan in a press conference at the Napolcom office in Quezon City, where he issued an apology to Felipe.

Felipe has since filed a cyberlibel complaint against Go, alleging that he was publicly humiliated in front of fellow officers during the incident, which took place outside the QCPD’s Anonas Police Station.

While the police officer said he supported the MMDA’s goal of clearing public roads and sidewalks, he expressed concern over how the video affected his credibility and privacy.