A satirical quote card with Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos calling the arrest of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla’s son “unlawful” is misleading netizens.
Shared on Facebook (FB) on Oct. 14, the quote card showed Marcos defending Juanito Jose Diaz Remulla III, saying his use of marijuana is for medical purposes.
The quote read:
“I would like to make it clear that the arrest of my good friend Thirdee Remulla is UNLAWFUL. The evidence against him is weak, not that it is weak. The evidence is weak because there is a strong reason for Thirdee to possess a kilogram of high-grade marijuana. Thirdee has a medical condition which requires him to smoke or inhale marijuana. Having said that, Thirdee should be absolved of any wrongdoing.”
Marcos made no such remark.
It is just a spoof of his’ previous statement on the weakening peso that went viral online. (Read VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Sandro Marcos inaccurately attributes weakening of peso solely to strong dollar)
The quote card also carried a satire label. On the bottom right portion of the image is “Satire Media Network” and a slightly altered version of SMNI News Channel’s logo.
Several netizens believed the statement, with some expressing their disappointment and calling the justice system weak.
The satirical quote card circulated online four days after Remulla III’s arrest for his alleged involvement in the importation of P1,304,800 worth of kush. He is facing charges for violating Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2022.
Several private FB accounts shared the quote card. FB pages Kakampink101 (created July 30, 2021 as Trending Now 101) and Naloko na (April 15, 2022), reposted the quote, collectively garnering 982 reactions, 376 comments and 89 shares. FB groups Metro Manila Movement for Leni Robredo (MMMLR) (Jan. 5, 2021) and P-NOY HINDI KA NAG-IISA. ITULOY NATIN ANG LABANPH (Ibalik sa Senado) (Dec. 1, 2020 as P-NOY FOR SENATOR MOVEMENT 2022PH Ibalik sa Senado) likewise shared the post. The 33 public FB posts garnered 1,835 interactions, according to the social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle. The satirical quote card also reached social media sites Twitter and TikTok.
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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.)
