CLAIM: Image containing additional fabricated names of confidential fund recipients from Vice President Sara Duterte.
RATING: FALSE
An altered graphic has made the rounds on Facebook, showing alleged additional names of bogus individuals who had signed anomalous acknowledgement receipts for confidential funds from Vice President Sara Duterte.
Flagged content: The edited news graphic contained a list of names laden with sexual innuendo.
- The original graphic was posted on Aug. 3 in satirical Facebook group “House of Representa-thieves: Butasang Pambulsa, by a certain “Jenny Thalia II.”
- The caption on the original post, read: “Confidential ngani. Wag kayong ano dyan.” (sic)
Our debunk: The viral graphic was an edit of Philstar.com’s Aug.3 card listing 11 individuals with questionable names, including “Mary Grace Piattos” and “Andy Lim.”
- The edited version bore striking resemblance to the original, with the logo removed on the lower right corner.
- In a separate post dated Aug. 4, Philstar.com acknowledged the existence of the edited graphic and reminded the public to “always check the source.”
Rewind: Alleged fictitious names became the center of vice president Duterte’s impeachment case when it was first revealed in a congressional probe in 2024.
- The names supposedly received payments for various services and purchases from confidential funds.
- The vice president spent P125 million in confidential funds in just 11 days in December 2022, according to lawmakers.
Why we fact-checked this: Cheap edits are getting better at deceiving the public, with the accessibility of various editing software including generative artificial intelligence.
- As of writing, the original satirical post has amassed 4,100 reactions, more than 400 comments and more than 800 shares.
Spot the fake: Always keep a keen eye for details especially for graphics posted on social media.
- Make it a habit to cross reference sources to ensure the veracity of information. Hurt Allauigan
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