Website newscenterph.info re-posted May 7 a false story published April 23 by thedailysentry.net claiming the fight is over for Vice President Leni Robredo, after losing to rival former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in an electoral recount.
The vice presidential vote recount, which began April 2 as a result of an electoral protest filed by Marcos in June 2016, is still ongoing, already making false the headlines “Tapos na ang laban ni Robredo ibinunyag na ang totoong nanalo “Cheating gets you nowhere Leni (Fight’s over for Robredo, the true winner is revealed ‘Cheating gets you nowhere Leni’)” and “Game over for Robredo: Cheating gets you nowhere Leni”.
The opinion-heavy story, disguised as a news report, also claims the Supreme Court, sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has nullified 5,000 votes for Robredo for failing to meet the 50 percent shading threshold. This information has not been verified by the PET. The story’s source is the blog Mejorada’s Point of View managed by a certain Manuel “Boy” Mejorada, who has also published a number of posts carrying the same anti-Robredo sentiment.
Newscenterph.info published the recycled story the day Robredo said she will fight alongside Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who is in danger of being removed from her post due to a quo warranto petition filed against her.
The story could have reached more than 2.6 million people, its biggest traffic generators on social media being The Filipino News, Pinas Citizen and News Wire PH. Newscenterph.info was created January 2, the dailysentry.net on January 10.
(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
