Manila, April 6 -- The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) has denounced the alleged use of the Emergency Cell Broadcast System (ECBS) for political campaigning, calling it not only highly inappropriate but also dangerous.

In a statement released Sunday, the OCD emphasized that the ECBS is strictly for disseminating life-saving alerts during emergencies such as earthquakes, typhoons or other imminent threats to public safety.

Using it for political purposes undermines its crucial role and could desensitize the public to genuine emergency alerts, potentially endangering lives, the agency warned.

Reports surfaced from several provinces where residents allegedly received ECBS alerts urging them to vote for particular candidates.

"These messag...