A social media graphic falsely claims that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency named President Ferdinand Marcos and his son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, as financiers of an alleged drug smuggling operation intercepted in Laos. This is false.
On Oct. 16, a Facebook user uploaded the graphic card bearing a photo of PDEA spokesperson Joseph Calulut and the logo of radio station DZXL News. The text on the card read:
“Financier ng ilegal na droga na bakuha (sic) sa Laos ay si BBM at Sandro Marcos – PDEA
(The financiers of illegal drugs seized in Laos are BBM and Sandro Marcos – PDEA).”
At least three other FB users reposted copies of the image on the same day and on Oct. 17, with one turning it into a reel.
This is edited. The text on the graphic card, originally published by DZXL News on Oct. 15, was altered to make it look like the PDEA has implicated the president and his son.
In the original version, the PDEA said an unnamed politician in Mindanao financed the chartered jet carrying the suspected methamphetamine.
The DZXL News has issued a Facebook advisory disowning the circulating false graphic card.
During a hearing by the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, PDEA Undersecretary Isagani Nerez identified several Filipino personalities and a Malaysian allegedly involved in the drug smuggling. As of Oct. 26, the agency has never mentioned the president or Rep. Marcos in its ongoing investigation.
The false posts surfaced after PDEA reported that a government official from Mindanao paid P3.5 billion to charter a private jet from Laos supposedly bound for the Philippines. The agency also said a Filipino named alias “Boyet” arranged the flight, while another named alias “Fajad” carried the suspected drugs.
As of writing, the four copies of the post, including a reel, have so far garnered 148,000 views; 8,631 reactions; 3,583 comments; and 6,200 shares.
