The creators of Tukomi, a popular vlogging channel with millions of subscribers on YouTube and Facebook, are now facing charges for a kidnapping prank gone wrong.
Mark Lester San Rafael, Mark Hiroshi San Rafael, and Eleazar Stephen Fuentes are being charged with alarm and scandal for the dangerous stunt they staged in Barangay CAA - BF International, where they pretended to kidnap an individual while being filmed.
However, the prank turned out to be too realistic as an off-duty police officer happened to be present at the scene.
The officer, S/Sgt. Ronnie Conmingo of the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG), was forced to draw his handgun and order the pranksters to stop.
After one of the vloggers explained that it was just a prank, Conmingo filed a complaint against them for their reckless behavior.
Brig. Gen. Warren de Leon, director of IMEG, criticized the vloggers for endangering themselves and others with their irresponsible content.
He reminded content creators to think carefully about the consequences of their actions and the message they want to convey.
"Mas maging malawak ang isipan, isipin ng mabuti gagawin o ginagawang content (Be broad-minded, think carefully about the content you want to do)," he said in an interview with Pulis at Ur Serbis program
The Philippine National Police (PNP) also issued a warning to all vloggers, reminding them not to joke about crimes and emphasizing that they could face legal consequences for any disturbances of public order.
Violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act by uploading such content could result in a prison term of up to 12 years.
