A graphic circulating on Facebook claims that veteran singer-actress Sharon Cuneta warned Filipinos that the country will be in a sorry state if they vote for Vice President Sara Duterte in the 2028 presidential elections. This is fake.
The post published on Oct. 09 contains a text statement directly attributed to Cuneta, with a similar caption:
“KAWAWA ANG PILIPINAS KAPAG BINOTO NIYO PA SI SARA DUTERTE
(The Philippines will be in a sorry state if you still vote for Sara Duterte).”
The graphic also contains an overlaid derogatory text that read:
“Mas kawawa kaming mahihirap kung bumuto kami sa isang matsing
(We poor people will suffer even more if we vote for a monkey).”
The monkey being referred to is Cuneta’s husband, Francis, whose nickname Kiko is the moniker of a popular Filipino puppet monkey.
During the Leni Robredo-Kiko Pangilinan campaign’s final miting de avance in 2022, Cuneta addressed Sara warmly, acknowledging their longstanding friendship while making clear that her vice-presidential choice was her husband, Kiko. There are no records of her recent posts and interviews mentioning either Duterte or the 2028 presidential polls.
The graphic with no media or account branding or attribution uses a manufactured quote and the derogatory comment and was circulated by a partisan FB account.
Cuneta’s public record shows that her relationship with Duterte has never been openly hostile. She has expressed affection for the vice president personally while also defending her husband and daughter against political attacks and supporting Kiko’s political career.
In a Facebook post on Sept. 28, 2017, Cuneta, known as the Megastar, thanked former president Rodrigo Duterte for bringing her up in his speech, and referred to Sara, then Davao mayor, as her friend. She emphasized that she and Sara could maintain their friendship despite political differences.
The fake post surfaced after Cuneta’s latest public appearances to promote her online series with actress Barbie Forteza, Honor Thy Mother. The celebrity spouse was recently seen at the Senate as she watched the impeachment proceeding with her daughter, Frankie Pangilinan, where her husband served as a senator-judge.
Posted by several Facebook users, the post has garnered 1,864 reactions, 1,500 comments, and 45 shares.
