Inquirer statement on ‘fake Edsa’ story

On February 27, the Philippine Daily Inquirer ran a story on Page A12, with the head “At rally called by Imee, Edsa revolt called fake.” Neither the headline nor the story asserted that Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos was at the rally. The story clearly identified the source who called Edsa fake: Prof. Herdy Yumul. It ran with a file photo of Marcos, taken at another rally, but cropped; the caption noted that it was another rally.

Story: At rally called by Imee, Edsa revolt called fake

The version of the story that ran on mobile, however, failed to carry the caption; on Facebook, the caption appeared only if the reader clicked on the photo. On the web, the version carried the uncropped photo. On these three platforms, the versions created the misimpression that Marcos was at the Ilocos Norte rally or suggested a new reading of the headline: That Marcos had called Edsa fake. Either reading is wrong, and we regret that our errors led to them.

Gov. Marcos’ statement follows:

I did not attend any rallies last February 25, including the manifestation of support held at the Ilocos Norte Capitol. Unlike last year’s photo at the Supreme Court misleadingly attached to the article, earlier photos of the same outlet actually taken of the event last Saturday attest to my

absence. Hence, any statement regarding a ‘fake Edsa’ could not possibly have been mine – more than the mere observer, I personally experienced the profound impact EDSA and People Power had on our country.