Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Lordan Suan | PHOTO: Official facebook page of Atty. Lordan Suan
MANILA, Philippines — Cagayan de Oro 1st District Rep. Lordan Suan has disowned a post claiming that ayuda or social aid would be given to his constituents after Vice President Sara Duterte was impeached, saying that this came from a fake page.
Suan in a statement on Thursday stressed that he never made such a post — adding that this is merely black propaganda to mislead the people after the impeachment complaint.
“It has come to my attention that a post from the fake page, The Working Congressman, is circulating online. I never issued that statement. This is fake news and black propaganda aimed to mislead the people and tarnish my name, that of Speaker Martin Romualdez, and the House of Representatives,” Suan said.
“These are all lies,” he added.
In the post, Suan appeared to explain why he signed and endorsed the impeachment complaint against Duterte. However, eventually, the post allegedly made by Suan told supporters that the “ayuda is coming”, adding that Romualdez “provided additional budget, allowing us to give more assistance to the people.”
Suan said that while he was in favor of impeaching Duterte, it was not a personal attack.
“Yes, I voted ‘yes’ to the impeachment. I voted for accountability, and not against any individual. My vote was not a personal attack against VP Sara,” he said.
“I am a public servant and my loyalty will always lie with you: the people of the 1st District of Cagayan de Oro City. I have spent my time, my energy, and my spirit fighting for you, pushing for real change, for social services that lift us up, for infrastructure projects that build a brighter future, for laws that protect and improve the lives of every Filipino,” he added.
Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, in a press briefing at the Batasang Pambansa complex, said that he was able to talk to Suan earlier. During their conversation, Adiong said that Suan told him that the post was not his, and therefore, fake.
“Well, yes, kanina pong umaga nakausap ko po, nakausap po namin si Congressman Lordan Suan, unang-unang po, dine-deny po niya categorically, na hindi po yung totoo, isa po ‘yan sa paraan na sinasabi ko nga, mga fake news,” Adiong said.
Earlier too, 1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez — a member of the prosecution panel — said they expect a lot of misinformation and disinformation to go around with Duterte’s impeachment.
READ: House impeaches VP Sara Duterte, fast-tracking transmittal to Senate
Pro-Duterte social media personalities like Mark Anthony Lopez posted on his Facebook page that lawmakers who backed the impeachment complaint would allegedly receive P25 million for the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program, another P25 million for the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations, and P100 million for infrastructure projects.
Succeeding posts from Lopez, after Duterte was impeached, claimed that the lawmakers endorsed the complaints due to the P150 million allocation — which Gutierrez said was not true.
READ: VP Duterte impeachment may draw over 103 signatories – Castro
During the session on Wednesday, it was announced that 215 lawmakers endorsed the impeachment complaint, allowing the House to transmit it to the Senate.
Under the 1987 Constitution, an impeachment complaint could be immediately forwarded to the Senate for a trial if over one-third of all House members — 102 out of 306 — have signed and endorsed the petition.