MANILA, Philippines – Civilian and military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have been reminded to observe proper behavior online amid various issues swirling around social media. This reminder, the AFP said on Thursday, was mentioned in an official message from the Office of the AFP Chief of Staff to the different commanders of the major services and unified commands dated May 6. ADVERTISEMENTAside from citing a social media use policy in 2016 which calls for proper etiquette and a high standard of conduct, the letter said that all “AFP military, civilian human resource, to include dependents, are directed to practice caution in publicizing personal opinion especially when engaging in social media activities”. ABS-CBN’s shutdown last Tuesday triggered a lot of reactions from media personalities, celebrities, political observers, and common Filipinos — so much that the topic occupied the spots of Twitter’s trending hashtags. READ: ABS-CBN’s heart-rending last moments before shutting downAFP clarified that they are not prohibiting personnel from voicing their own opinion, but publishing materials that violate existing rules and put AFP in a bad light are not allowed.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 07, 2020 08:48 UTC