CLAIM: A Facebook page posted a video saying “Megastar” Sharon Cuneta, the wife of vice presidential candidate Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, made a slip of the tongue and allegedly admitted that presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo is connected with the communist rebels.
The video showed Sharon supposedly saying that if Robredo is indeed connected with the communist group, she would be the first president whom the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) would believe or trust.
According to the video posted on the Facebook page called ADF 2.0, it has been “confirmed” that the leftist group has penetrated Robredo’s campaign.
The video also claimed that the confirmation is also from another presidential bet Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson. It also claimed that Eric Celis, the former cadre of the CPP-NPA, has personal knowledge about it.
The narrator of the video also cited Lacson’s and Celis’ intel, saying Robredo is the presidential bet of rebel groups.
The video claimed that the communist rebels could help pave way for a Robredo win in the 2022 polls, which could supposedly let the leftist group freely continue to wreak havoc across the country.
Rating
The video claiming Sharon Cuneta admitted Robredo’s connection with communists is misleading.
Facts
The Facebook page posted a spliced video of Cuneta during a campaign rally in Negros Occidental on March 11.
In Robredo-Pangilinan’s rally in Isabela the next day, Sharon explained that the claim was from a spliced video, where she was making a joke about a scenario that could happen if Robredo was indeed related to the CPP-NPA.
This is the full quote of Cuneta:
“Wala na silang masira kay Ma’am Leni. Ang bago: kakampi na daw ng NPA. Sabi ko, ‘That’s not true!’ Pero akalain mo kung totoo ‘yon, aba’y siya ang magiging kauna-unahang presidente na paniniwalaan ng NPA. Edi pati Abu Sayyaf, friends na natin. Wala nang terrorists.”
“Ma’am Leni shall be president to Christians, Catholics, lahat ng relihiyon, and the Muslims also because this is what the Philippines is made up of,” Cuneta added.
Lacson claimed that Robredo’s sortie in General Trias, Cavite on March 4 was infiltrated by communists. He also retweeted a news article about Rep. Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla’s (Cavite, 7th District) allegations that the attendees of the said rally were paid by the Robredo camp.
Robredo denied the allegations, saying it was irresponsible for the two lawmakers to release such statements without showing any proof.
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Until now, such claims have not yet been proven by Lacson or Remulla.
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Why it matters
Despite uploading a spliced video of Cuneta and sharing unverified claims, the post of the Facebook page ADF.20, garnered over 65,00 views 2,200 reactions, more than 1,600 shares, 688 comments so far.
ADF.20 which describes itself as the page of channel MOWDIEFIE, has more than 2,300 followers. It said it is posting about current news events and commentary, reaction videos and videos tackling political news and issues.
Some people fell for the misleading post and believed what the narrator said, while others left hateful comments against the lone female presidential candidate and against Cuneta.
“OMG Mrs. Sharon ano po bang nangyari sa iyo? Hindi po biro ang mga pinagsasasabi mo tapos tawa-tawa ka pa. Ayan nanggaling na sa bibig mo ang mga plano niyo,” a Facebook user claimed.
“Sana mga kababayan magisip na mabuti sa pagboto, maigisip po tayo na kung mananalo sila siguradong NPPA na din ang magpapatakbo sa bansa, ngayon pa nga lang po na wala pa silang kapangyarihan sa gobyerno ih. Ang dami na nilang kinakawawa at pinapatay ih papano pa kaya kung sila ang namumuno sa bansa?… Ow lord nakakatakot isipin,” the commenter added.
*The grammatical errors on the quotes have been corrected*
Prior to ADF 2.0’s post, the misleading claim and spliced video of Cuneta were likewise circulating on YouTube since March 12.
It was uploaded by Pinas Insider with 250,000 followers while the post garnered 247,198 views as of writing.
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This story is part of the Philippine Fact-check Incubator, an Internews initiative to build the fact-checking capacity of news organizations in the Philippines and encourage participation in global fact-checking efforts.
Interaksyon is also a founding partner of Tsek.ph, a collaborative fact-checking project for the 2022 Philippine elections. It is an initiative of academe, civil society groups and media to counter disinformation and provide the public with verified information.
Interaksyon is also part of #FactsFirstPH, a multi-sectoral initiative promoting truth in public space and demanding accountability for falsehoods. For those interested to join the initiative, email [email protected]
