MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo has slammed quotes attributed to her saying that she is ready to become president, insisting that these are just fake information circulated online.
Robredo explained on Tuesday that these quotes could not even pinpoint when and where they were said.
In a post on her Facebook page, the Vice President attached a sample photo of the post, including the fake quote “Ang Pilipinas ay nababalot sa kadiliman, ibalik natin ang dating sigla ng mamamayan, I am ready to become a president of the Philippines.”
This literally translates to “The Philippines is swathed in darkness, let us bring back the enthusiasm of our countrymen, I am ready to become a president of the Philippines.”
“Mariing pinabubulaanan ng ating Tanggapan ang kumakalat na fake quote na ito mula umano kay VP Leni. Hindi totoo na sinabi ng Bise Presidente na ‘nababalot sa kadiliman” ang Pilipinas kaya handa siyang maging pangulo ng bansa,” she said in her page.
(Our office sternly denies the fake quote spreading about VP Leni. It is not true that the Vice President said that the country is “covered in darkness” that’s why she is ready to become president of the country.)
“Hindi rin matukoy ng fake news post kung saan at kailan ito nabanggit,” she added.
(This fake news post also cannot specify when and where it was mentioned.)
Robredo then reminded the public to be more discerning of information obtained from dubious sources on social media, as these are meant to misinform the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Pinaaalalahanan natin ang lahat na maging mapanuri sa mga nababasa sa social media, at i-report ang mga nagpapakalat ng fake news—lalo na ngayong panahon ng krisis, kung kailangan pinaka-kinakailangan ang tamang impormasyon,” she noted.
(We are reminding the public to be more discerning of information they read on social media and then report people spreading this fake news — especially during this time of crisis, when accurate information is most needed.)
Robredo has been a victim of many fake news incidents even before the COVID-19 crisis affected the country. During the Taal Volcano eruption, pro-Duterte blogger and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Deputy Administrator Mocha Uson said that Robredo only provided “pan de sal” to the evacuees.
The Vice President countered by saying that it is an affront to taxpayers because the government employs a fake news peddler.
Then during the pandemic, rumors continued to follow Robredo’s initiatives for health workers after Facebook pages said that she delivered spoiled food for frontliners in a Quezon City hospital.
Posts concerning fake information about Robredo reportedly come from administration supporters, which have been critical of her and the opposition.
Last September, Facebook shut down a network of accounts and pages based on China for coordinated inauthentic behavior. Among the network targets were the Philippines and the United States, but primarily the Southeast Asian countries as it posted about local affairs using the Filipino language.
Aside from the network’s more controversial support towards Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio’s possible 2022 presidential bid, Facebook’s investigation also found out that the accounts were posting items critical of the opposition. [ac[