A quote card of Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo supposedly opposing the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers affected by the war in Iran is circulating online. The quote card is fake.
On March 11, a TikTok account posted a graphic featuring a photo of Robredo from 2021. It carried her supposed response to Vice President Sara Duterte’s statement that it is not difficult to bring home OFWs affected by the conflict.
The remark attributed to Robredo read:
“Bakit ka mag papadala ng eroplano, may airspace restrictions at panganib sa seguridad dahil sa aktibong conflict zones (Why would you send a plane, there are airspace restrictions and security risks in active conflict zones) — Mayor Leni Robredo.”
The quote card also bore the caption:
“Sinabi ni Vice President Sara Duterte na kayang-kaya ng gobyerno na magpadala ng eroplano para iuwi ang mga OFWs sa Middle East, at ginamit niyang halimbawa ang mga flights mula Manila patungong Davao noong panahon ng pandemya. Ngunit ayon sa mga eksperto, magkaiba ang sitwasyon ngayon. Ang flight Manila–Davao ay domestic, kontrolado ng Pilipinas, walang kailangang diplomatic clearance, at walang foreign airspace na dadaanan. Samantalang ang international evacuation mula sa isang rehiyon na may military conflict ay mas kumplikado: kailangan ng diplomatic clearance, landing rights, at coordination sa foreign aviation authorities. Bukod dito, may airspace restrictions at panganib sa seguridad dahil sa aktibong conflict zones, at ang civilian aircraft ay hindi idinisenyo para lumipad sa ganoong sitwasyon. Sa madaling salita, ang domestic flight example ni VP Duterte ay hindi puwedeng ihalintulad sa evacuation ng OFWs sa Middle East, dahil masalimuot ito at may seryosong logistics at safety risks
(Vice President Sara Duterte said that the government can afford to send a plane to repatriate OFWs in the Middle East, and she used the example of flights from Manila to Davao during the pandemic. But according to experts, the situation is different now. The Manila-Davao flight is domestic, controlled by the Philippines, does not require diplomatic clearance, and does not pass through foreign airspace. Meanwhile, an international evacuation from a region with a military conflict is more complicated: it requires diplomatic clearance, landing rights, and coordination with foreign aviation authorities. In addition to this, there are airspace restrictions and security risks due to active conflict zones, and a civilian aircraft is not designed to fly in such a situation. In short, VP Duterte’s domestic flight example cannot be compared to the evacuation of OFWs in the Middle East, as it is complicated and has serious logistics and safety risks).
OFW #MiddleEastCrisis #SaraDuterte #LeniRobredo #fyp.”
Facebook pages and users have since reposted the quote card.
Robredo did not make such a remark. The graphic came from a TikTok account that imitates GMA Integrated News.
It has not been reported that the former vice president opposed the repatriation of OFWs.
GMA Integrated News did not release any quote card dated March 11 about Robredo’s stance on the issue either. On March 18, the media organization published a statement disowning the quote card.
The fabricated quote card came from TikTok user @dailydosephilippines, which appears to imitate GMA Integrated News. The TikTok account’s profile picture is a slightly altered logo of the media organization – bearing “QNA Integrated News” instead of “GMA.”
The fake graphic is also an imitation of GMA Integrated News’ official social media cards. The fake quote card misspelled “GMA” with “QNA” to confuse unsuspecting netizens. This is a common tactic in other inauthentic news cards debunked by VERA Files.
The graphic is similar to a March 11 quote card published by a media outlet about Duterte’s criticisms of the Marcos administration’s lack of preparedness for the ongoing conflict.
The caption in the fake post also originated from a Robredo fan page trying to debunk Duterte’s claim, not from Robredo herself.
The fake quote card circulated five days after Duterte, in an interview, criticized the government’s response to the crisis and said it is not difficult to send planes to repatriate OFWs.
According to the Department of Migrant Workers, as of March 15, the government has assisted and repatriated a total of 1,315 OFWs and their dependents affected by the crisis in the Middle East.
VERA Files has debunked other disinformation related to Robredo.
The post by TikTok user @dailydosephilippines garnered 5,948 reactions, 1,051 comments, 94 shares and 282,700 views. Five copies reposted by FB users and pages collectively garnered 11,882 reactions, 5,348 comments and 773 shares.
