A July 22 online post by a pro-Marcos Facebook page that claims Vice President Leni Robredo had taunted Sen. Manny Pacquiao for his being a champion boxer yet “not having a heart for the poor” is fabricated.
A day after the senator bagged his 62nd win in his boxing career on July 21 Manila time, Facebook page Team Marcos published a 2016 Esquire photo of Robredo superimposed with the quote, “Champion ka nga sa ring pero champion ka ba sa mga taong nasa laylayan ng lipunan? Ang buhay ay hindi puro boxing lang, dapat ay may puso ka sa mahihirap (You may be a champion in the ring but are you a champion of the people on the fringes of society? Life isn’t just about boxing, you should also have a heart for the poor).”
The vice president herself has debunked the post. The same day Team Marcos published the post, Robredo posted a screengrab of it on her personal Facebook account and wrote as its caption, “Fake news na naman (once again). Never said this.”
A cursory search of the fabricated quote also turns up only one result: a Manila Bulletin report about Robredo’s July 22 Facebook post.
The fake online post surfaced a day after Pacquiao defeated American boxer Keith Thurman for the World Boxing Association’s welterweight title.
It could have reached over 675,000 people, with the pages Senator Manny Pacquiao Supporters Worldwide, Fact Check Philippines, REAL PHILIPPINE HISTORY as the top three traffic generators.
Team Marcos was created Jan. 11, 2018.
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