Social media posts claiming that the titles of the 27-hectare property purchased by the Bacolod City government in Barangay Granada have been canceled are fake news, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said on Monday, Feb. 3.
City Legal Officer Karol Joseph Chiu said the title of the property is already in the name of the Bacolod City government.
The Granada property was purchased under the land banking program of the city and it went through a thorough process, Benitez said during his regular press conference.
Among the projects planned for the property are an animal shelter, courtyard, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility, solar power farm, and a housing project.
Benitez said fake news attacks, especially as elections approach, are no longer effective.
Candidates instead of spreading fake news about their opponents through social media should instead present what they will do for the city if elected, he said.
Benitez said he has also challenged the Negros Press Club and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas to come up with a self-regulating system to help weed out fake news and accounts.*