A social media card showing Sen. Bong Go supposedly admitting that Vice President Sara Duterte has no contribution to his reelection bid has circulated online. This is fabricated.
Starting May 16, several netizens have shared a graphic supposedly published by the media organization Manila Bulletin bearing a photo of Go. The headline read:
“BONG GO, INAMING WALANG TULONG SI SARA SA PAGKA-PANALO NIYA (BONG GO, ADMITTED SARA HAD NO CONTRIBUTION TO HIS VICTORY).”
This is fake. The Manila Bulletin has disowned the graphic and Go did not make such a remark about the vice president.
On May 17, the Manila Bulletin’s official Facebook (FB) page released an advisory, saying the graphic is fabricated and warning users about “entities impersonating its official brands.”
Contrary to the claim, Go thanked the vice president for endorsing him and his fellow “DuterTEN” candidates in his proclamation speech on May 17.
On April 21, Duterte officially endorsed the 10 senatorial bets running under the Partido ng Demokratiko Pilipino- Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), with the addition of reelectionist Sen. Imee Marcos and House Deputy Speaker Camille Villar. Duterte also attended the party’s miting de avance in Manila on May 8.
The fake graphic circulated four days after the May 12 midterm elections, where three of the 10 PDP-Laban bets won – reelectionists Go and Ronald Dela Rosa, and Party list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, along with Marcos and Villar. The spotlight is now on the 12 newly elected senators who complete the 24 senator-judges in Duterte’s impeachment trial scheduled to begin on July 30.
VERA Files has debunked other election mis- and disinformation related to Go, as well as fake graphics about Duterte’s impeachment.
At least 15 posts by FB users and pages such as Good Governance Supporter (created on July 17, 2021 as Sorsogon For Leni), Makabagonglipunan (created on May 17, 2020 as Sabugen) and Stupid Ironies (created on Jan. 27, 2017) have so far collectively garnered 1,593 reactions, 729 comments and 342 shares. Copies of the fake graphic also circulated on Threads and X (formerly Twitter).
