A political pundit wrongfully said in an interview that Vice President Leni Robredo was not a victim of disinformation

CLAIM: Vice President Leni Robredo is not a victim of fake news.
RATING: FALSE

In an interview with evangelist Apollo Quiboloy’s Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), Anna Malindog-Uy claimed that Vice President Leni Robredo was not a victim of “fake news”. 

“Laging sinasabi, like for example ni Vice President Leni Robredo, na biktima siya ng fake news. I don’t think gano’n,” the professor said at the 15:38 minute mark of the interview.

The claim was phrased to become ambiguously subjective so it could somehow be passable as an “opinion” which Malindog-Uy said and, therefore, cannot be fact-checked.

Nevertheless, her claim that incumbent Vice President Robredo was not a victim of fake news is false.

Vera Files, Meta’s (formerly Facebook) third-party fact-checking partner, reported in 2021 that Robredo was the most-targeted subject of disinformation. 

Among the 120 election-related disinformation content that Vera Files flagged that year, 28 of them were aimed against Robredo.

Following her as the second most-targeted subject of false information is Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao who is also gunning for the presidency in the May 9 elections.

The same report revealed that Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., only son and namesake of former president Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., benefitted the most from “fake news” with 52 of the 120 flagged posts either promoting him or distorting facts about the Marcos ill-gotten wealth. 

Disinformation against Robredo has been at full throttle as she campaigns for the presidency against her political rival, Marcos Jr. 

PressOne.PH alone has flagged numerous disinformation posts targeting Robredo. 

(READ: FACT-CHECK: Robredo’s staff did not ask for funding for a drug rehab program)

(READ: FACT CHECK: Gadon wrongfully claims Robredo cheated in 2016 elections)

Even the vice president’s daughter, Aika, has fallen victim to disinformation attacks as fake lewd videos that allegedly feature her have surfaced on the Internet.— Zeus Legaspi

 

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