Some netizens took as fact a satirical post claiming Moreno is Marcos Jr.’s new spokesman.
CLAIM: Manila Mayor Isko Moreno has replaced lawyer Vic Rodriguez as the newest spokesman of former Senator Bongbong Marcos.
RATING: SATIRE
An artcard circulating online has fooled some netizens into believing that presidential candidate and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno has replaced lawyer Vic Rodriguez as spokesman of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
A story attached to the image quoted Rodriguez as saying that by appointing Mpreno as spokesperson, the Marcos camp was “creating new jobs as early as now.”
The artcard and the article dated April 20 are SATIRICAL.
The post by Superficial Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines, a social media account known for its humorous takes on politics, has generated more than 17,000 reactions, 1,100 comments and 2,300 shares as of morning of April 21.
Social media users’ comments include: “I almost believe (sic), until I read the superficial Gazette;” “Before others get victimized, after fact-checking, this is fake news. So beware, mga kababayan!” and “Totoo ba yan? Can a presidential candidate be a spokesperson of another presidential candidate? Might as well withdraw his candidacy, useless na yan. Satirical.”
Rodriguez remains the spokesman for the late dictator’s son and current presidential race frontrunner. In fact, he released a statement on April 20 lauding the Commission on Elections for junking the last disqualification case filed against his client on the division level.
The satirical post was a take on the Easter Sunday press conference attended by presidential candidates Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, former defense secretary Norberto Gonzales and Moreno. In that briefing, the three candidates maintained that they would not withdraw from the presidential race despite calls by some allies of Vice President Leni Robredo for them to unite behind her candidacy.
The latest Pulse Asia survey indicated that Marcos was preferred by 56 percent of voters while Robredo is a far second with a 23 percent voter preference.
The Manila mayor admitted going “off script” when he repeatedly called on Robredo to commit the “supreme sacrifice” and withdraw from the presidential race, ramping up his attacks against the vice president less than three weeks before the elections.
While the artcard carried the hashtag “#SatireNews,” it was not immediately noticeable to some users.
