At least three Facebook pages are circulating a quote attributed to broadcast newscaster Mel Tiangco supposedly insulting Philippine tennis star Alex Eala. This is fake.
Tiangco has dismissed the allegation during a Jan. 23 airing of GMA’s 24 Oras, stressing this is “fake news.”
Published as early as Jan. 3 by a tennis-themed FB page, the post carried a bogus statement allegedly made by the veteran news anchor along with the caption that read:
“‘Don’t claim it’s for this country — you’re nothing but a despicable, selfish person.’ Mel Tiangco’s cold and scathing words cut straight into Alex Eala, leaving the public shocked and outraged. Tiangco dismissed every effort and ideal Alex had ever stood for, turning her personal choices into objects of mockery. A firestorm of controversy quickly erupted across social media. Alex broke down in tears, unable to believe what she had just heard, and the 20 trembling words she spoke next left Tiangco stunned, shaken, and overwhelmed with regret.”
Two other pages, whose posts are mostly related to tennis, reposted the same caption on Jan. 14 and 16.
All three posts displayed several pictures of Eala and an image of Tiangco showing a dismayed expression.
In the news program 24 Oras, Tiangco vehemently belied these “fake” social media posts. “Sabi pa sa mga pekeng post, sumagot pa raw si Eala gamit ang maanghang na salita. Uulitin ko po, fake news po ‘yan,” she asserted.
(The fake posts even claimed that Eala responded using harsh words. I repeat, that is fake news.)
Tiangco added that she has never insulted nor said anything negative about Eala, noting she “celebrates her and even prays for her.”
A combination of reverse image search and keyword search shows that Tiangco’s image used in the three FB posts was taken from the May 9, 2022 airing of 24 Oras, where the anchor expressed frustration with mishaps during that election year, including the malfunctioning of old vote-counting machines.
Moreover, any controversy between famous Filipino personalities like Tiangco and Eala would have caught media attention. A simple Google search yielded no news reports about the supposed insult made by the award-winning broadcast personality to the Filipina sensation.
This is not the first time Eala has been the subject of bogus narratives circulating online. VERA Files has since fact-checked viral claims about the Philippine tennis player. (READ: FACT CHECK: Babolat did NOT gift sports car to Alex Eala, FACT CHECK: NO $45-M Wilson endorsement offer to Alex Eala
The posts with untrue claims were uploaded by two pages with addresses located in the United States (Tennis Spark, Tennis Now Insight) and another one from Portugal (Mroczne Zagadki). As of writing, the false FB posts have collectively garnered 7,175 interactions.
