The Makabayan bloc and senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares have not been disqualified from the 2022 national elections, contrary to the claim in a fake Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolution circulated on May 7 and 8 by various Facebook (FB) pages.
Comelec acting spokesperson Atty. John Rex Laudiangco, who was named in the sham resolution as its issuing officer, told journalists that the document is “fake.”
“I have not issued any document to this effect. Any issuances, any decisions will be officially issued and communicated by the Commission on Elections,” he said in a May 8 press briefing.
The Makabayan bloc also belied the circulating fabricated document in a May 8 online briefing, and called it an “outright lie.” The bloc is composed of progressive party-lists including Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Kabataan, ACT Teachers, and Gabriela.
According to the social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle, the earliest copy of the fake claim came from the FB page of Bryan Calagui, an overseas Filipino worker in Hong Kong who is a vocal supporter of presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. His now-deleted FB post published on May 7 read:
GOODNEWS. DINISQUALIFY NG COMELEC ANG MGA PARTYLIST NA SUMUSUPORTA SA MGA TER0RISTA. MAKABAYAN BLOC AT SI NERI COLMENARES. 1. BAYAN MUNA PARTY LIST 2. ANAKPAWIS PARTY LIST 3. KABATAAN PARTY LIST 4. ACT TEACHERS 5. GABRIELA PARTY LIST TALAGANG NAPAKABUTI NG TAAS.
(Good News. Comelec disqualified partylists that support terrorists, the Makabayan Bloc and Neri Colmenares. 1. Bayan Muna Party List 2. Anakpawis Party List 3. Kabataan Party List 4. Act Teachers 5. Gabriela Party List. The One above is really good.)
Calagui’s post did not include the bogus resolution, but posts by other FB pages such as BBM Vlog, BBM for President 2022, Atty. Glenn Chong for Senator, Radyo Bandera Sweet FM – San Carlos City, and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (Never Say Die) carried a photo of the fake Comelec document titled “COMELEC DISQUALIFIES MAKABAYAN BLOC AND NERI COLMENARES FROM THE MAY 2022 ELECTIONS.”
Calagui’s spurious post garnered over 17,700 reactions, 3,600 comments, and 3,100 shares from netizens before it was taken down.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
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