A man in Palawan was arrested after authorities discovered his claim about a Malaysian aircraft crash in their village was false.
The suspect, identified as Mamerto Badenas, admitted he fabricated the story to draw the local government’s attention to the poor condition of the road in Sitio Candelaria, Barangay Tagumpay, Roxas.
Badenas’ false report alarmed police, soldiers, barangay officials, and municipal personnel, as well as local media, who rushed to cover the supposed incident.
In an exclusive interview with Brigada Palawan, Badenas said he did not expect the situation to escalate. His only intention, he claimed, was to get officials to visit the area and see the muddy road firsthand.
“In other places, roads are paved. In ours, it’s not… It’s difficult every day, especially going to work… Why can’t our captain fix it?” Badenas said in Filipino. He also criticized the barangay captain for not allocating funds to repair the road.
Barangay Captain Merlinda Herrera expressed disappointment, saying Badenas could have filed a complaint instead of spreading false information.
Badenas clarified he only mentioned an emergency landing, not a crash. “Nothing really fell. I just wanted the captain to reach our place,” he said.
Authorities arrested Badenas after confirming the report was fabricated. He may face charges related to the incident.
