On May 17, HistoryWilltell – a Facebook page that regularly publishes pro-Marcos content, posted a video calling for renewed public attention on the two-year-old report of sedition and other cases supposedly filed against Vice President Leni Robredo and other ‘opposition’ personalities by the Philippine National Police’s special anti-crime unit, claiming that Robredo has “pending cases.”

The video’s caption reads ‘Leni Robredo may patong2 na kaso [Leni Robredo has multiple pending cases]. The video also contained two video snippets of separate reports taken from GMA Network’s primetime TV newscast 24 Oras.

CLAIM:

Vice President Leni Robredo has pending criminal cases

RATING:

FALSE

FACTS:

Robredo has no pending cases, since the Department of Justice (DOJ) dismissed the complaints filed against Robredo, along with other members of the opposition, lawyers, and church leaders in 2020 citing ‘lack of probable cause.’ However, the DOJ indicted former senator Antonio Trillanes IV and 9 others on the case ‘conspiracy to commit sedition.’

On July 18, 2019, the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) filed multiple complaints to key opposition figures including Robredo over their alleged involvement in the video series “Ang totoong Narcolist [The real Narcolist]” linking President Rodrigo Duterte and his family and friends to the illegal drug trade.

The complaints filed ranged from sedition, inciting to sedition, cyber libel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal, and obstruction of justice.

WHY IT MATTERS:

The video propagates the false notion that the vice president has a pending case with the use of a video clip that rehash the report on the cases filed against her by the PNP without mentioning anything about the real status of said cases.

It is also worth noting that this is not the first time that the news report was used erroneously. A fact-check article from Vera Files revealed that a similar video containing the same footage from the 2019 report first made its round on Facebook in February this year, intentionally vilifying Robredo and her then presidential campaign.

The earliest version of the video can be traced back to a Tiktok post posted on December 2021. As of writing, the video in question has more than 1,100 views. -Adrian Pulgo 

Altermidya Network is part of #FactsFirstPH which brings together various sectors that are committed to promoting truth in the public space, and exacting accountability on those who harm it with lies. For those interested to join the initiative, email info@factsfirst.ph.

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