CLAIM: Former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. was injured recently amid corruption allegations.
RATING: FALSE
Several Facebook and TikTok accounts recirculated an old video of former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. walking with a cane, falsely claiming that he was recently injured and using it to generate sympathy amid his alleged involvement in the flood control controversy.
Flagged content: A Facebook page, “Hokage ng Pinas,” posted the old video of Revilla, implying that the former senator recently got injured.
- An overlay text read: “Bong Revilla Nagprapractice narin” (sic), “oh bat napilay to” , “sunod na wheelchair diyan”. (“Bong Revilla is practicing too,” “oh, why did this one get injured?” “next, bring a wheelchair here.”)
- It also included hashtags: “#floodcontrol #contractor #FloodControlProjects #corrupt.”
- Edited videos started recirculating on Oct. 16 through various Facebook and TikTok accounts, all narrating the same claim and featuring the same captions and hashtags.
Our debunk: A different angle and time stamp of the video was posted by Rappler’s Dwight de Leon on X (formerly Twitter) last year, May 8, during the Partido Federal-Lakas alliance signing ceremony a month after Revilla was reportedly injured while filming a movie.
- Ramos mentioned in the caption that Revilla sustained an Achilles tendon injury in April 2024.
- A Senate press release dated April 17, 2024, stated that the Revilla “suffered an Achilles tendon rupture” while filming.
- On April 19, 2024, days after the Senate press release, Revilla posted his photo on Instagram where he can be seen lying on a hospital bed with his family gathered around, and announcing his successful surgery.
- His Instagram posts afterwards included photos of him standing with an assistive device. His last photo with a cane was during his daughter’s doctorate commencement on July 30, 2024.
- His latest Facebook post, Aug. 18, shows the former senator being able to stand on his own.
Rewind: Revilla was among the names revealed by ex-Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo during a Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing on Sept. 25.
- Bernardo revealed that he gave a list of projects to Revilla in 2024. He also alleged during the hearing that Revilla received kickbacks from the projects.
- On the same day, Revilla denied the allegations through a statement released by a law firm.
- Filipino politicians accused of corruption suddenly seen wearing a neck brace or sitting on a wheelchair in public appearances have become a subject of ridicule in Philippine politics and pop culture.
Why we fact-checked this: Many accounts are resurfacing the old video with the same exaggerated claim and false timeframe.
Spot the fake: Verify and trace suspicious video to their original post or other posts containing the same image using reverse image search tools.
- Verify a politician’s latest activities on their personal social media accounts, on their close family’s, or through verified news organization’s social media accounts.
- Be wary of videos that have missing contexts or superimposed texts. Dhayshel Tinoy
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