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VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Robredo did NOT tutor elderly in photo

False

A Facebook (FB) video is claiming that former vice president Leni Robredo erred in saying she was tutoring kids when a photo actually showed her in the company of the elderly.

This is incorrect. The image it showed was from the inauguration of a community tutorial center where Robredo was a guest and was among volunteer tutors.

Uploaded on July 15, a week after Robredo attended the event, the video had this thumbnail:

LUTANG NA NAMAN SI SANTA MAMA FREE TUITORIAL (sic) SA MGA BATA? EH MGA MATATANDA NAMAN YAN NANAY LENLEN. ‘LUTANG PARIN’ (Holy mother is again being silly. Free tutorial for kids? Those are all old people, Mother Lenlen. Still dumb).” 

It also carried this superimposed text: “SI INA MO! SABI TUTORIAL SA MGA BATA EH BAKIT PURO MATATANDA TINUTURUAN NIYA (Your mother says tutorial for kids then why is she only teaching old people?)” 

The photo was taken from Robredo’s July 8 FB post which shows her at the inauguration of a tutorial center in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija.

The event was organized by members of Angat Nueva Ecija, a non-governmental organization (NGO) led by Robredo’s campaign volunteers for her 2022 presidential bid. 

“I was back in Nueva Ecija today, this time in Cabanatuan City, upon the invitation of Angat Nueva Ecija. We inaugurated their Tutorial Center, where 200 grade school children from 3 public schools are being tutored by the volunteers. This was followed by a Thanksgiving Lunch for the volunteer tutors,” she said in her post.

In a post that same day, Angat Buhay Nueva Ecija thanked Robredo for her presence: “Thank you, Atty. Leni. All the volunteer tutors were all smiles upon seeing you in attendance at the Thanksgiving Lunch – araw ng parangal para sa kanila (it’s their recognition day), you as the special guest speaker on the recognition ceremony.” 

The erroneous clip also flashed a screenshot of a July 12 Politiko news article with the headline “200 kids given free tutorial lessons by Angat Nueva Ecija volunteers – Robredo” to imply that the former vice president was dumb to refer to the elderly in the photo as kids. The article did not say Robredo was actually involved in the mentoring. 

Posted by FB page Mimaa Alicia, the clip has so far drawn 19,000 views, 1,300 reactions, 358 comments and 86 shares. It was also reuploaded by YouTube channel Mimaa Alicia Comments where it garnered 5,116 views. 

 

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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.)