DepEd Usec vows to sue fake news peddlers

Education Undersecretary Toni Umali has vowed to go after those behind a series of online attacks, portraying him as a womanizer. 

Umali said he and his family have been coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to identify those responsible for the hoax Facebook posts, and file charges against them.

“Ang aking pamilya ay nakikipagugnayan ngayon sa National Bureau of Investigation upang matukoy at makasuhan ang lahat ng may kagagawan nito,” Umali said in a statement on Monday.

He issued the statement after a post on Facebook page “DepEdi Wow” on Wednesday shows a photo of him and a Palarong Pambansa dance coach, with the caption, “Sweet pa lang sa Antique, Lovers na sa Vigan!”

The page also posted a news story with the headline “Intimate at work—DepEd Usec Umali admits affair with Palarong Pambansa Dance Coach.”

The story, authored by a certain Kristinne May Sumilong, purportedly from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, appears to have mimicked articles from INQUIRER.net.  Both the Philippine Daily Inquirer and INQUIRER.net said that no such story has been posted on the website, and that Sumilong was not in any way affiliated with the news organization.

INQUIRER.net also noted differences in terms of style, as the typeface used in the fake news’ headline and text body differs from what website  uses.  The headline was also constructed like a sentence, using a period in the end.

Umali countered the post, saying that he has always remained faithful to his wife and his family.

“Nililinaw ko po na aking pinabubulaanan hindi lamang po ‘yung Palarong Pambansa fake page account kung hindi po ang lahat ng fake Facebook posts or accounts na lumabas sa social media,” he noted,

Previously, a different Facebook page named “Palarong Pambansa” shared a meme with Umali purportedly denouncing plus-sized public school teachers.

“Marami ang mga Public Teachers natin ang tumataba.  Dapat magkaroon tayo ng weight requirements.  Kaya nga gumagawa tayo ng sports and fitness programs tulad ng Palarong Pambansa para pumayat naman sila,” the alleged fake post stated.

Umali has denied saying this, and similarly vowed to sue the people responsible for the post.

READ: DepEd exec to file criminal raps vs creator of fake ‘Palarong Pambansa’ FB page

“Kahit kailanman, hindi po tayo lumihis o bumali sa aking sinumpaang tungkulin na maging matapat at malinis sa aking paninilbihan sa ating bayan at pagiging matapat (rin) sa aking sagradong relasyon sa aking asawa at mga anak,” Umali said.