FACT-CHECK: Sen. Raffy Tulfo did not blame Duterte for ‘rotten system’

Claim: Sen. Raffy Tulfo released a statement blaming former president Rodrigo Duterte for the country’s “rotten system.”

Rating: FALSE

Flagged-content: A quote card that circulated on Facebook on Feb. 5 falsely attributed to Sen. Raffy Tulfo a statement blaming former president Rodrigo Duterte for the country’s ills.

• The graphic featured a photo of Tulfo with Duterte superimposed over a portrait of the senator, a black-and-white image of Duterte, and a picture of an influencer, Jack Argota.
• Written in quotes were “Duterte ang ugat ng bulok na sistema.” (Duterte is the root of the rotten system).
• The photo used in the post was grabbed from the senator’s official Facebook page “Raffy Tulfo in Action,” taken on Nov. 28, 2016 during a courtesy call in Malacañang with Duterte. 
• The post was uploaded by pro-Duterte Facebook page “Sir Jack Argota,” which has been the subject of fact-checks by various news organizations. 
• The National Bureau of Investigation earlier announced plans to issue a subpoena against Argota after he posted falsified medical records of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Our debunk: There is no evidence that the senator ever made the statement, as it does not appear in Senate hearing records, official transcripts, press releases, and interviews.

• In a Feb. 11 Senate hearing on misinformation, Tulfo confronted a representative of Meta, the company behind Facebook, for not taking down false posts from the platform after his office issued a statement denying them. 
• Meta’s Public Policy Head for Indonesia and Philippines Berni Mostafa responded, saying that Meta had removed such content from the site, but similar posts might still be active.  

Rewind:  The spread of fabricated quote cards came amid growing concern among lawmakers over disinformation online. 

• Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are discussing measures aimed at addressing the spread of false information on social media and strengthening platform accountability.
• Senate Bill 768, filed by Sen. Erwin Tulfo, brother of Raffy Tulfo, seeks to penalize those found guilty of generating and disseminating “fake news” with up to 12 years of imprisonment and a fine of P250,000.
• House committees on information and information and communications technology are also drafting anti-disinformation bills.

Why are we fact-checking this: The post on Argota’s Facebook page has since been shared 3,159 times and has generated more than 63,700 reactions and 8,700 comments, mostly criticizing the senator for the supposed quote.

Spot the fake: False and manufactured quotes being attributed to political figures have become an emerging trend in disinformation patterns in the Philippine information landscape.

• Amid escalating tensions between factions linked to the Marcos and Duterte families, disinformation can mislead the public about Senate dynamics and divert attention from substantive policy issues. Jelly Lustre

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