Fake news: Robredo slippers found at abandoned communist camp

Facebook posts showing thousands of unused slippers supposedly given away by Vice President Leni Robredo and found at an abandoned communist rebel camp are fake, Agence France Presse (AFP) said on Thursday.

“LOOK: Thousands of unused Robredo’s slippers found in abandoned NPA camp. Si Leni pala ang distributor ng mga tsinelas sa mga Rebeldeng NPA,” the post read.

(Look: Thousands of unused Robredo’s slippers found in Abandoned NPA Camp. so it was Leni who distributes slippers to the NPA rebels.)

The post compares Robredo to television host Korina Sanchez who donates slippers to Filipinos in her show, “Rated K.”

“Kala ko si Korina Sanchez Roxas lang ang namimigay ng Dilaw na tsinelas si Leni din pala! (I thought Korina Sanchez Roxas was the only one who gives away the yellow slippers. Leni does it, too!)” it said.

The post then accused Robredo of having relations with the NPA.

“Nagpapatunay lang po yan na may kaugnayan si Leni sa mga NPA! (This just proves that Leni is connected to the NPA!)” it said.

The AFP explained, however, that INQUIRER.net took the photo of the slippers in 2016.

Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte gave the slippers to the residents of the Bahay Toro village in Quezon City on March 14, 2016, during her birthday celebration.

Inquirer photographer Niño Jesus Orbeta told AFP that he owns the photo and that the accusation against Robredo was fake.

“That is the downside of social media/ internet. Especially when you’re a photographer, and your photos are out there, they can too easily be copied and pasted and used for other people’s agenda,” Orbeta told AFP via Facebook Messenger last November 21.

The Vice President’s spokesman, Ibarra Gutierrez III, also debunked the allegations, telling the AFP that it was “complete fabrication.”

AFP said two of the fake posts last Nov. 17 and Nov. 18 had been shared more than 11,000 times in less than four days. /ee