Archive - Claims by Public Figures

Iba-iba ang mga modus ng bogus posts na nagkalat sa social media: mga biglaang anunsyo ng ayuda, mga gamot ng iba’t ibang sakit at mga pila ng tao na bibili ng bagsak-presyo na aircon.

Most of the satirical posts debunked targeted government officials and allies of the current administration, with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos as the most satirized personality.

Here are three tips to discern whether an online post is satirical or not.

After Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. assumed the presidency on June 30, inconsistencies in the statements of top government officials have prevailed and confused the public.

(Part 2 of 2) Videos were the weapon of choice for disinformation creators in the last national elections. Over a third, or 82 out of 218 content fact-checked by VERA Files, came in this format. TikTok published 45 of these.

Election disinformation that Filipinos faced was harmful, repetitive and fast-moving. It was also built on the foundations of years-long disinformation that targeted specific candidates.

Baseless and unproven accusations linking prominent political figures to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its military arm, the New People’s Army (NPA), continue circulating online two years after the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020 took effect.

What happens when public officials, media outlets and online users keep repeating false statements?

The country’s former top public official was VERA Files’ most fact-checked personality since 2016. He was named the “most fact-checked figure” in 2018 and the top purveyor of disinformation on COVID-19 among government officials in 2020.

The Marcos administration has revamped the government’s anti-drug campaign in a bid to focus on demand reduction and rehabilitation of users, as opposed to the all-out war that led to the death of thousands of Filipinos in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Astronauts in space do cook by warming or reheating pre-packaged food prepared on Earth. They eat three meals a day plus snacks, maintaining a daily intake of 2,500 calories.

The FBI cannot make arrests outside the U.S. or its territories without special permissions from the U.S. Congress and the foreign country where a criminal is located.

Bangko Sentral Governor Felipe Medalla, who initially voiced reservations over the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) bill, has joined other economic managers in pushing its legislation, saying it is a “tried and tested” investment vehicle for growth. This needs context.

What is the Maharlika Investment Fund? Why is it facing so much backlash?

What’s in the proposed heterosexual bill and how is it different from the SOGIESC Equality bill?

Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos said recently that farmers can earn more by planting dragon fruit alternately with rice. “’Yung Taiwan malaki ang demanda ng dragon fruit (Taiwan has a high demand for dragon fruit). Eh [but] they can only plant dragon fruit three or four times, three or four months of the

Defending the proposed creation of the Maharlika Wealth Fund, former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos pointed to former senator Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV as the original of a similar measure in 2016. This needs context.

In pushing for legislation against the spread of false information online, Sen. Robinhood Padilla enumerated 15 countries that have laws against “fake news.” His list, however, carries some inaccuracies.

In a span of four years, Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa went from supporting the death penalty for all illegal drug offenders as director-general of the Bureau of Corrections to proposing rehabilitation for users. Now, the former Philippine National Police chief says he has “second thoughts” about his own measure.

The P25 per kilo rice is available only in Kadiwa ng Pasko caravan stores which operate in limited areas at designated dates and time in Metro Manila and in the provinces of Oriental Mindoro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur and Davao de Oro.

A 2015 Commission on Audit (COA) set of guidelines defines confidential expenses as lump sum amounts for “surveillance activities in civilian government agencies.” It categorically states that “in no case shall (confidential or intelligence funds) be used for … construction or acquisition of buildings or housing structures.”

What are confidential and intelligence funds? For what can these be used?

In a press conference on Nov. 21, Justice Secretary Boying Remulla defended the decision of the Philippine delegation to reject the United Nations Human Rights Council’s recommendation to decriminalize abortion. “We have to discuss more on the policy of population growth kasi may lumalabas that there are benefits and there’s just good and bad about

Contrary to Zubiri’s claim, the Philippine National Police reported on Nov. 14 that 46 deaths occurred in 18,505 anti-drug operations since the Marcos administration assumed power on June 30. The police claimed the 46 individuals killed were suspects who resisted arrest.