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FACT CHECK

VERA FILES FACT CHECK: DJ Loonyo denies FAKE quote card of him bashing Hidilyn Diaz

Artist DJ Loonyo disowned a quote attributed to him allegedly bashing Filipina weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz after her 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medal win on July 26. He denied calling the Olympic gold medalist “an example of a toxic Filipino” for relying on donations, and referred to the quote card as “fake news.”

During a July 28 Facebook (FB) Live video, DJ Loonyo said: “Seryoso ba kayo na lumabas ‘yun sa bibig ko, na sasabihan ko ‘yung ating pambato or Olympic Gold medalist na si Ma’am Hidilyn nang ganun? Hell no,” he said.

(Are you serious in claiming [that statement] came from my mouth, that I would say something like that to our representative or Olympic gold medalist Ma’am Hidilyn? Hell no.)

He was referring to a fabricated quote card made by FB page Bakkler the same day, which quoted him as saying: CONGRATS HIDILYN PERO ISA KANG EXAMPLE NG TOXIC FILIPINO. PEOPLE NOWADAYS NGA NAMAN, MAS PIPILIIN ANG EASY MONEY KAYSA MAGTRABAHO NANG MARANGAL. YUNG IBA DYAN KAYOD-KALABAW TAPOS IKAW UMAASA LANG SA BIGAY?

(Congratulations Hidilyn but you’re an example of a toxic Filipino. People nowadays choose easy money over working with dignity. Others work very hard, but you only rely on donations?)

While others recognized the quote card was fake by citing a GMA News article, netizens who believed it was real called the artist “stupid” and “envious.” An FB user who claimed to be a fan of DJ Loonyo advised him to “just be happy for Hidilyn Diaz’s victory.”

Social media in the Philippines has been abuzz with posts related to the Olympic victory of Diaz who made history by winning the first ever gold for the country.

DJ Loonyo is a dancer/choreographer, professional disc jockey, social media personality and recording artist. In another post, he called on Filipinos to be more vigilant on what they see online, and avoid falling prey to “fake news.”

Mga kababayan ko, improve tayo, wag tayo patalo sa FAKE NEWS, patuloy lang kayong gagamitin at patuloy ding manghihila pababa tong mga page na to. (My fellow countrymen, let’s improve, don’t fall prey to fake news, these pages will continuously use and pull you down).”

Bakkler’s post with the made-up quote card was taken down as of July 30. But other FB pages such as Ansaveeeeh?, Kigwa Ph, and EZ MiL reuploaded a screenshot of Bakkler’s post, garnering around 7,800 reactions, 1,900 comments, and 9,200 shares.

FB page Ansaveeeeh? was created in May 2011, Kigwa Ph in March 2021, and EZ MiL in January 2021.

(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)