A quote card on Facebook (FB) claims that Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo urged police and the Department of Interior and Local Government to monitor and lock down Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) churches in the city following former president Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest. This is fake.
A reader sent a request through VERA Files’ Messenger Misinformation Tipline to verify the viral quote card.
Uploaded on March 12 – a day after Duterte was arrested by the Interpol through a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court – the quote card read:
“Following the well-deserved arrest of FPRRD, I urge the DILG and PNP [Philippine National Police] to monitor all Iglesia Ni Cristo churches in MariQna City for possible violent protests. If it’s allowed, padlock all INC churches to prevent them from causing disorder in the city.”
Quimbo never said anything like this. In a March 12 FB post, the congresswoman debunked the spurious quote:
“Mga Marikenyo, pagtulungan po natin labanan ang fake news… Wala pong katotohanan ang mga pekeng quote card na ito (Marikina citizens, let’s help each other to fight fake news. There is no truth to these quote cards).
Quimbo, who is running for mayor of Marikina in the upcoming midterm elections, has also apologized to the INC for being dragged into the mess, which she claims was “orchestrated by her political opponents.”
The INC staged a protest in January to oppose impeachment efforts against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The bogus quote has received 24,500 interactions on FB. It was uploaded by page True Christians (created March 6, 2017 as Justice For Dr Dreyfuss Perlas), an INC fan page.
VERA Files Fact Check has previously debunked a fake quote claiming that Quimbo urged Vice President Duterte to “resign out of shame” before her impeachment trial begins.
