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Palace says video showing that Duterte did not receive FIFA jersey is ‘false’

November 3, 2019 | 5:02pm

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential spokesperson and chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo on Sunday disproved the “spliced” video showing that President Rodrigo Duterte did not receive a jersey from Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in Thailand.

Panelo clarified that the president received his jersey.

“The official photo of the President, easily accessible in the Facebook account of the Presidential Communications, immediately puts a lie to this sinister false news,” Panelo said in a statement.

He was reacting to a video of Twitter account Professional Heckler that showed Duterte seemingly being forgotten and not receiving the jersey from FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Panelo slammed the Twitter user for uploading “a spliced video purportedly showing that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte did not receive a football jersey during the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and FIFA.”

Professional Heckler also captioned the post: “Noong bata ka, naramdaman mo rin ito. Lahat nabigyan na ng candy, maliban sa ‘yo. Naiiyak ka na pero nagpigil ka lang para ‘di mapahiya.”

(When you were a child, you also felt this. Everyone received a candy except you. You were in the verge of crying but you held back to prevent embarrassment.)

Noong bata ka, naramdaman mo rin ito. Lahat nabigyan na ng candy, maliban sa ‘yo. Naiiyak ka na pero nagpigil ka lang para 'di mapahiya. ??????????

(VOA uploaded a clearer video on YouTube but dyaraaaan.... it has been shortened. ????) pic.twitter.com/Gp7BCcW5jS
— The Professional Heckler (@hecklerforever8) November 3, 2019

Duterte and his fellow ASEAN leaders on Saturday received a jersey from Infantino after the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the ASEAN and the football association.

Videos showed, however, that Infantino took time to get Duterte’s jersey. Some leaders got their jersey ahead of Duterte and he turned out to be the last recipient.

This then explained why spliced videos showed that Duterte appeared to have not received the FIFA jersey.

For Panelo, this move proved the “dirty political stunt” against Duterte.

“With this succeeding bogus news coming in the heels of the fabricated news story dragging Thailand’s monarchy, it becomes predictable that this vicious campaign of hate against PRRD will not cease until his last day in office,” the presidential spokesman said.

“The latest dirty political stunt underscores the obsession of PRRD’s foes to embarrass him and put him to ridicule at every opportunity presented to them,” he added.

The latest spliced video came a day after Malacañang criticized a fake screenshot of a supposed article appearing on the front page of the Bangkok Post.

It was titled “King orders PH Duterte, behave during ASEAN summit.”

The Palace dismissed the supposed "bogus" news as “black propaganda” and claimed that it was released by the president’s “fierce and unthinking critics and detractors.”

“The Office of the President expresses its indignation over this cheap political stunt aimed at embarrassing PRRD, thereby humiliating our country which he represents, before the global audience,” Panelo said.

“The political enemies of the President appear to have thrown decency to the garbage bin even as they parade themselves as a rambunctious minority in our country,” he added.

Duterte is currently in Thailand for the 35th ASEAN Summit.