Several versions of a quote card circulating online claim that Sen. Rodante Marcoleta is suggesting that Filipinos get rid of the noche buena celebration because it’s just an extra expense. This is fake.
In a Facebook post, Marcoleta debunked the claims and tagged those as “fake news.”
One of the graphic cards posted by a Facebook user on Dec. 3 has a photo of Marcoleta with a text that read:
“Alisin natin ang NOCHE BUENA. Dagdag gastos lang iyan na walang kwenta. – Rodante Marcoleta
(Let’s get rid of noche buena. It’s just an added expense that doesn’t make sense. – Rodante Marcoleta).”
Other users circulated similar art cards featuring the same quote but with different visual layouts.
In a Facebook post on Dec. 5, Marcoleta, a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo that does not celebrate Christmas, said he did not make such a statement.
“PAGLILINAW: Wala po akong statement tungkol sa Noche Buena o Holiday Bonus. Ito po ay FAKE NEWS mula sa mga bayarang vloggers na nagkakalat ng mga mapanira at mapanlinlang na posts,” he wrote.
(CLARIFICATION: I have no statement about Noche Buena or Holiday Bonus. This is FAKE NEWS from paid vloggers who are spreading malicious and misleading posts.)
Marcoleta clarified that the fabricated quote was not connected to the controversy over the P500 noche buena budget. He urged the public to be cautious against misleading content circulating online.
The fake statement surfaced after Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque drew flak for saying P500 is enough for a noche buena meal for a family of four or fewer. Many Filipinos denounced her remark as insensitive to households struggling with rising food prices.
As of writing, the circulating posts uploaded by FB users Jojo Ballesteros, Wilson Bautista Valdez and two other copies shared on community groups have collectively garnered 14,100 reactions, 15,600 comments and 1,151 shares.
