Public urged: Shun ‘Momo’ scare

A police official urged the public yesterday to ignore the scare brought by the viral “Momo challenge,” which allegedly encourages children to do violent acts, including suicide.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said people should downplay the online game as there is no evidence that it actually exists.

“Netizens should not give this game too much publicity,” Eleazar said.

Some fact-checking groups and organizations have claimed that the challenge is a hoax.

Police started investigating the reports, with one death in the country supposedly linked to the challenge.

Eleazar said they have yet to receive a validated report in Metro Manila about a suicide incident related to the online game.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo advised parents to guide their children on the use of the video-sharing website YouTube amid the Momo challenge scare.

The education department also urged parents to monitor the websites their children visit. – Emmanuel Tupas, Alexis Romero