A Facebook post claiming actor and television host Edu Manzano insulted supporters of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has gone viral. This is false and the graphic was generated using artificial intelligence.
On Sept. 16, a graphic bearing the photo of Manzano was published with the text:
“DALAWANG KLASE LANG ANG NAGTATANGGOL KAY BBM: ISANG MAY BAYAD AT ISANG MAY SAYAD. ALIN KA SA DALAWANG ’YAN?
(There are only two kinds of people who defend BBM: one who is paid and one who is insane. Which of the two are you?)”
The post further carried the caption:
“Nako sir Edu natumbok mo🤣🤣🤣🤣
(Oh yes, sir Edu, you really hit the mark🤣🤣🤣🤣)”
Protesters are also shown on the lower right portion of the graphic, some of them holding signs that say:
“KAHIT NAKAWAN KAMI, SOLID BBM PA RIN, BBM LANG SAKALAM.
(Even if we get robbed, we’re still solid for BBM, BBM is the strongest.)”
The television host refuted the claim in a Facebook post and stressed he never made such a statement. The graphic, he added, is fabricated. Part of his statement read: “Criticize me for what I actually say. Challenge my views if you disagree. But fabricating quotes is not criticism. It is deception.”
Although the original post, which received a lot of traction, has since been removed, there are still several similar posts making the rounds online.
Fabricated quote cards and graphics continue to circulate as political tensions between Marcos and the Dutertes rise amid the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte and the trial of former president Rodrigo Duterte nears at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The publisher, Hilda Caranto Tibule is a local blogger account created on December 4, 2014. The post has so far garnered 5,000 likes; 1,100 comments; and 617 shares.
Editor’s Note: This fact check was produced with the help of a journalism student from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines as part of their internship at VERA Files.
