PropertyValue
?:author
?:datePublished
  • 2022-10-31 (xsd:date)
?:headline
  • False posts claim Philippine opposition lawmakers jailed after criticising President Marcos Jr (en)
?:inLanguage
?:itemReviewed
?:mentions
?:reviewBody
  • False YouTube and Facebook posts with tens of thousands of views claim four opposition lawmakers have been imprisoned in October after they criticised Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. But the lawmakers have actually been freely attending public events after the false posts circulated, AFP found. The video offers no proof to support the claim and only shows clips of a political ally of Marcos Jr criticising the lawmakers. The video has been viewed more than 40,000 times since it was posted on YouTube on October 25. The post claims opposition lawmakers Arlene Brosas , France Castro and Raoul Manuel -- as well as former congressman Carlos Zarate -- have been jailed for criticising Marcos Jr. Marcos Jr has defended his dictator father and namesake, whose 20-year rule was marked by a period of bloody martial law and crackdown on dissent, stoking fears that his own government could employ similar measures. JUST IN: NOW JAILED! PRES MARCOS ACTED IMMEDIATELY! RAOUL MANUEL BROSAS CASTRO ZARATE HAVE BEEN JAILED! REMULLA ! reads the title of the video. Remulla refers to Marcos Jr's justice secretary Jesus Remulla . The video's thumbnail features images of Brosas , Castro , Manuel and Zarate doctored to make it appear they were behind prison bars. Tagalog-language text near the photo -- which the post appears to attribute to the lawmakers -- translates as: Bring down BBM! The left-wing Makabayan coalition -- a minority bloc in Congress to which the four lawmakers belong -- has consistently been critical of Marcos Jr referred to by his popular initials BBM. The thumbnail also shows an image of lawmaker Rodante Marcoleta -- a Marcos Jr ally -- appearing to tell the lawmakers: YOU WILL SPEND CHRISTMAS IN JAIL! Screenshot of the false post taken on October 25, 2022 Similar posts featuring the video were also shared on Facebook here and in a blog post here . Comments suggest some people were misled. They deserve it, they haven't done anything to help the country, one wrote. It's good that Raoul has been jailed, one user commented. The posts are false. Fabricated claim Brosas, Castro and Manuel attended public events after the false posts circulated -- which debunks the claim they were imprisoned. Brosas gave a 17-minute interview to Philippine broadcast network ABS-CBN on October 25. Manuel attended a House of Representatives committee hearing on October 26 as seen in a Facebook live video here . Castro spoke to a crowd during a protest for indigenous people streamed live on Facebook on October 28 here . Screenshots of all three can be seen below. Screenshots of the videos Castro was arrested in 2018 for alleged trafficking charges but was soon released after posting bail. She described the charges as trumped up, according to a report by news organisation Rappler. A representative from Castro's office told AFP hearings for the case are still ongoing. An AFP journalist was also able to verify via a video call on October 28 that Zarate was not detained at the time. All four lawmakers separately told AFP the claim they were jailed is fabricated. Brosas told AFP on October 27: We categorically deny and denounce the false information being spread on social media claiming that Makabayan bloc lawmakers, including me, are currently detained. I am not in jail. Recently, I've participated in House committee meetings, Manuel told AFP on October 26. There is no truth in the posts circulating online that I and my fellow lawmakers were jailed. There is no reason for the government to jail us, Castro told AFP on October 26. During the video conversation with AFP, Zarate said about the posts: These are fake news and are truly condemnable. Unrelated clips A review of the video in the false posts found it offers no evidence the lawmakers were jailed. The first 11 minutes of the video shows Rodante Marcoleta -- an ally of Marcos Jr -- criticising the lawmakers during a press briefing on April 5 for allegedly not taking a stand on human rights abuses committed by rebel armed groups in the country. Keyword searches found local news reports in which they have published statements about human rights abuses carried out by rebel groups here and here . From the 11-minute mark onwards, the video shows Marcoleta in an interview published by local television channel SMNI on December 8, 2020. He alleges during the interview that the opposition lawmakers never denied links to communist rebels trying to overthrow the government. Keyword searches found officials from the opposition lawmakers' coalition previously refuted this allegation. (en)
?:reviewRating
rdf:type
?:url