Multiple Facebook (FB) netizens shared a quote card allegedly by Sonshine Media News Inc. (SMNI) where Ilocos Norte 1st. District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos III rebuked critics of the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF). Both Marcos and the media outfit disowned the fake graphic.
In the bogus graphic, Marcos supposedly said that MIF critics should withdraw their money from the Land Bank of the Philippines or the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). He also allegedly asked members of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS) to stop their contribution and withdraw their savings.
“To our all knowing detractors, if you are a depositor of LandBank or the DBP and do not trust the feasibility of having our own investment fund (MIF), then just withdraw your money and deposit it in another bank. If you are a member contributor of GSIS and SSS, then just stop contributing and withdrawing [sic] all your contributions,” the quote card read.
“The black ops continue! Another fake quote card circulating [on] social media using [SMNI News],” Marcos said in a June 12 Instagram Story.
In a statement issued the same day, Sonshine Media News Inc. (SMNI) strongly disowned the quote cards and warned against the “unauthorized use of its logo for malicious intent and misrepresentation.”
The fake quote card named SMNI as “SatireMedia Network Inc.” Cursory search showed no such page or account nor was there a disclaimer that it is a satirical post. SMNI’s original quote cards use a different template and format compared to the bogus graphic.
It was a Facebook user who asked VERA Files Fact Check to verify this claim. A total of 16 netizens posted the fake quote cards from June 6 to 12, six days after the Senate approved the MIF bill on third reading. The fake graphics garnered a total of 490 interactions.
Some netizens who believed the quote card is true told Marcos to stop being boastful because he belongs to a family of thieves. Another asked whether it was really an official statement from Marcos’ office.
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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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