A quote card circulating online claims that Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla had said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should be jailed instead of her husband, former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. This is fake.
The congresswoman has debunked the claim, describing it as “fake news.” A keyword search on Google also shows no credible results that she made the statement.
On Dec. 8, an FB page uploaded a graphics card bearing a photo of Mercado-Revilla with a text on the lower part that read:
“DAPAT SI MARCOS JR ANG MAKULONG HINDI YONG ASAWA KO SI BONG REVILLA BIKTIMA LANG SIYA
(It should be Marcos Jr. who should be jailed, not my husband Bong Revilla, who is just a victim).”
Another FB user reposted the fabricated image and turned it into a reel, with an overlaid text stating:
“Tunay na mapagmahal na asawa tama c BVMM ANG UNSAHIN IKULONG
(Truly a loving wife. Correct, BBM should be jailed first)”
In a Facebook post on the same day, Mercado-Revilla issued a statement to debunk the claim.
“Ito ay fake news. Walang statement na nilalabas ang inyong Ate Lani ukol dito. Huwag basta maniwala, hindi lahat ng nasa internet ay totoo. Don’t spread fake news. Maging mapanuri. Maraming salamat po!,” she wrote.
(This is fake news. Your Ate Lani has not released any statement regarding this. Do not just believe, not everything on the internet is true. Don’t spread fake news. Be discerning. Thank you very much!)
A quick review of the FB page shows that it has been posting suspicious quote cards with a similar layout, attributed to politicians and celebrities.
The fabricated quote surfaced five days after the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) recommended to the Office of the Ombudsman the filing of charges against Revilla and nine others in relation to their alleged involvement in anomalous flood control projects. The referral was based on affidavits and testimonies from the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
In a press conference, ICI Chairperson Andres Reyes Jr. said among the possible charges that may be filed against Revilla are direct or indirect bribery, corruption of public officials, plunder and administrative sanctions.
On Dec. 5, the Department of Justice confirmed that Revilla, along with resigned AKO Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co, is among the respondents in its ongoing preliminary investigation into anomalous flood control projects in Bulacan.
The fake post, uploaded by the FB Page Ganap PH, has so far received 6,500 reactions, 5,700 comments and 151 shares. The reel shared by an FB user garnered 272,000 views, 7,200 reactions, 2,600 comments and 878 shares.
