FILE PHOTO: Vice President Leni Robredo during her birthday celebration/rally on April 23, 2022, in Pasay City. VP Leni Media Bureau
MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Tuesday denied the “false story” on social media claiming Vice President Leni Robredo had requested a priority landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) which caused a diversion of flights.
In a statement, the OVP said it “never happened” and that the tale was “a malicious fabrication.”
“The Office of the Vice President categorically denies the false story being circulated in social media which claims that VP Leni Robredo requested priority landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for a flight she was on,” it said.
“This never happened and is a malicious fabrication,” it added.
It further stated that Robredo had never asked to be prioritized for taking off or landing when traveling by air. “Any claim to the contrary is a lie,” it said.
“It is alarming that almost a week after the elections, the disinformation and fake news being spread on social media against VP Leni continue unabated,” said the OVP.
“Lying, unfortunately, has become a full-blown industry on social media. VP Leni reiterates her commitment to take firm steps against disinformation and promote truthful public discourse,” it added.
The OVP’s statement comes after a Cebu Pacific pilot claimed on social media that Robredo had requested that her flight be given priority landing at the NAIA, causing flight deviations.
Cebu Pacific has since launched a probe and put the concerned pilot under disciplinary review. The pilot has taken down his social media post.
READ: CebuPac places pilot under disciplinary review after ‘baseless’ post vs Robredo
Cebu Pacific Air Flight Operations Vice President Captain Sam Avila said in a statement earlier Tuesday that “the pilot has made it clear to us that he had no basis for his claim and was purely speculative and careless on his part.”
Even after the elections, Robredo remains a target of trolling or cyberattacks, and disinformation. Preliminary findings of Tsek.ph, an academe-based fact-checking initiative, said that Robredo is the “biggest victim” of disinformation.
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