At least two websites – thinkervlog.top and du30community.com – posted April 25 a misleading story claiming Vice President Leni Robredo wrote to the European Union (EU) to have President Rodrigo Duterte investigated.
The story features a video of an April 23 press briefing by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, which contains no mention of “investigating Duterte” and thus does not bear out the headlines:
“HULI KA! Sl LENI PALA ANG SUMULAT SA EU PARA IMBESTlGAHAN Sl DUTERTE (Got you! It was Leni who wrote to the EU to have Duterte investigated)”
“BISTADO NA!! SI LENI PALA ANG SUMULAT SA EU PARA IMBESTIGAHAN SI DUTERTE! PANOORIN (Busted!! It was Leni who wrote to the EU to have Duterte investigated! Watch!)”
The story was posted two days after former press secretary Rigoberto Tiglao wrote in his Manila Times column that Robredo, during her trip to Germany, talked to EU officials who a week later released a resolution denouncing extrajudicial killings linked to the war on drugs.
The 10-minute video used is an edited portion of a 25-minute Roque briefing, and contains a clip of the Palace spokesperson saying he will not comment on Tiglao’s claim, as it is not yet proven.
The video was published by Youtube channel DDS News Army, and has technically unsynchronized video with a slightly altered audio.
Thinkervlog.top was created on April 14; du30community.com on April 1; and the DDS News Army Youtube channel on September 2017.
The biggest traffic generators of the story on social media are President Duterte Worldwide Supporters, President Duterte Astig Supporters and Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos.
Along with the Youtube video, the story could have reached more than 2 million people.
(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
