A Facebook post claims that Vice President Sara Duterte insulted disaster victims by undermining their struggles and saying that her own struggles were worse than theirs. This is misleading.
On Sep. 13, an FB page posted a cut-out video of Duterte saying:
“[Kapag] mayro’ng nangyari na hindi maganda sa buhay niyo, isipin niyo na lang na mas matindi ‘yung nangyari … sa buhay ko. So hindi ‘yan ang katapusan ninyo, kasi mayro’ng isang tao na mas matindi pa ang dinaanan pero hinding-hindi mag-gi-give up
(When something bad happens in your life, just think that what happened in mine was far worse. So, that’s not the end for you, because there is someone who has been through even more but will absolutely never give up).”
The clip was pasted over compilation footage of disasters, with the overlay text:
“INSULTO NI SARA SA MGA NASALANTA (Sara’s insults to the victims!)”
One footage in the compilation was a viral video of a house being swept away by floodwaters during the southwest monsoon, posted Aug. 28.
But Duterte’s statement was not addressed to disaster victims in the original video, which came from a Vox Populi: Ang Boses ng Bayan interview with the vice president, broadcast by hyperpartisan media outlet SMNI Digital on Feb. 21.
Before the portion used in the false post, the interviewer asked Duterte to give a message to Filipinos losing hope because of the hardships they were experiencing in the country.
They had the following exchange starting at the 1:16:46 mark:
“Interviewer: VP, hingan namin kayo ng mensahe para sa mga kababayan natin na nawawalan na ng pag-asa, saturated na, napapagod na, political, ‘tsaka pagod na pagod na rin sa mga nararanasang paghihirap dito sa ating bayang Pilipinas.
(VP, may we ask for a message for our fellow Filipinos who are losing hope, those who are overwhelmed, weary of the political climate and utterly exhausted by the hardships they are facing here in the Philippines?)
Duterte: Sa mga kababayan natin na dumadaan sa hirap, kung ano man yon, sa personal man, sa trabaho man, o ‘yung hirap ninyo sa politika, o sa mga dinadaanan ng bayan natin, magtiwala kayo Diyos. Lagi kayong magdasal na bigyan kayo ng lakas at ng kaalaman, strength and wisdom, at bigyan kayo ng grace na tanggapin kung ano yung nangyayari sa buhay niyo
(To our fellow citizens going through hardships, whether personal, work-related, political, or the challenges facing our nation, put your trust in God. Always pray for strength and wisdom, and for the grace to accept whatever is happening in your lives).”
The post was published amid heavy and continuous rain brought by the southwest monsoon, or habagat, in parts of the country.
The post, published by Better Philippines Initiative (created April 30, 2024), has accumulated at least 1,400 reactions; 132 comments; 336 shares and 39,000 views as of writing. The page has over 12,000 followers.
