VERA Files
A video on Facebook (FB) claimed that former Vice President Leni Robredo delivered her own State of the Nation Address (SONA) where she insulted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. This is not true, and the video clips used did not support the claim.
A day before Marcos’s 2nd SONA, the FB page published the video with the false headline:
“LENI GUMAWA NG SARILING SONA? PURO PANINIRA KAY PBBM ANG SPEECH! KAYA TINANGGIHAN ANG INVITATION? (Leni made her own SONA? Her speech only contained insults against Marcos! Maybe that’s why her invitation was rejected?)”
The video’s seven-minute run consisted of photos of Robredo and several unrelated clips. None of the clips shown in this video featured Robredo delivering her own alleged SONA.
A reverse image search of the photos and videos used revealed that their original contexts are unrelated to the erroneous claim.
The photo of Robredo in this video was published by regional newspaper The Freeman on July 21 when she attended the University of the Philippines Cebu’s 84th Commencement Exercises as a speaker.
In her commencement speech, Robredo stressed the importance of organic solidarity and collective action in facing the challenges of society. She never once mentioned the name of Marcos during this 12-minute speech.
The false video also featured an unrelated TikTok clip, which showed IBON Foundation’s research head Rosario Guzman criticizing the Marcoses for attempting to rehabilitate their name with the current administration’s “Bagong Pilipinas” campaign during the July 18 IBON 2023 Midyear Birdtalk.
This video with the false headline emerged after Robredo declined the invitation to attend the president’s 2nd SONA.
FB page Philippines New (created on Nov. 28, 2019) published the video, garnering over 8,300 reactions, 3,800 comments and 900 shares and 170,000 views.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
