Sara Duterte disowns social media post pushing for federalism amid COVID-19 crisis
MANILA, Philippines — Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Friday disowned an article supposedly pushing her view on federalism and blaming local government units amid the COVID-19 crisis.
In a statement, the presidential daughter said that “everything” in the article supposedly written by “Mayor Inday Sarah Duterte” was never hers nor does it reflect her views on federalism.
“Everything about the said article was never mine—from the misspelled ‘Sarah’ to the glaring grammatical errors to the ridiculous syntax or to the whole idea of federalism,” she said in a statement posted by GMA news.
Duterte-Carpio in May last year said she opposes federalism, one of her father’s advocacies. She said that a federal form of government would only strengthen the forces of political warlords, particularly in regions in Mindanao.
The circulating social media post said that a centralize government system hampers flow of relief for affected communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A federal form of government would have prevented it, it noted.
Duterte-Carpio said that those who wrote the article “should be ashamed of themselves for the horrible work they have done with the article and for manipulating and fooling the public.”
Those who also shared the post should also be embarrassed for falling for fake information peddling an agenda.
“The Duterte administration is facing a formidable enemy these days and President Rodrigo Duterte needs the support of the entire country to bring the enemy down, protect the public from infection, and prevent more deaths,” she added.
The Davao mayor urged the supporters of her father to “be always circumspect in dealing with information online.”
The Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation are conducting a crackdown on those who spread false information online amid the pandemic.
The recently-signed Bayanihan to Heal as One Act also penalizes spreading “false information” on social media and other platforms. — Kristine Joy Patag
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