Netizens are sharing a fake statement attributed to Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio where she allegedly said learners under the Department of Education (DepEd) need only basic — and not quality — education.
The fabricated graphic appeared on Facebook (FB) as early as May 16 and imitated a quote card template of ONE News. Duterte-Carpio, who is also the Education Secretary, was shown saying:
“Our learners in DepEd do not exactly need quality education, they only need basic education. Most of them will go in [sic] abroad and become Domestic Helpers, Nurses or Construction workers. Besides, DepEd does not have the budget to provide the same quality education as being provided by private schools.”
“One of our quote cards was tampered with. It is clearly a fake,” Patrick Paez, editorial head and chief of ONE News and One PH, told VERA Files Fact Check via email on May 25.
The graphic is an altered version of a ONE News quote card dated April 7, 2021. In the original, then Davao City mayor Duterte-Carpio was announcing a leave from work to manage her health.
The altered quote card changed the original “SARA DUTERTE ON LEAVE” subhead on the graphic’s upper left portion to “VP/DepEd Sec. Sara on Quality Educ.”
It also replaced the quote, as well as the date from “April 7, 2021” to “April 27, 2021”. ONE News’ logo and social media handles were retained.
Filipino writer Ninotchka Rosca was one of the first to share the hoax on May 16, five days after the DepEd formed a task force to review the senior high school program of the K to 12 curriculum.
The FB page The Stockwatcher Philippines (created on April 8, 2013) also posted a copy, which a netizen shared to 16 FB groups supporting the political opposition. These fake posts garnered a total of 844 interactions.
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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.)
