MANILA, Philippines (Updated: 1:20 p.m.) — A YouTube video is claiming without basis that opposition Sen. Leila De Lima, who is seeking re-election in the May polls, has passed away.
CLAIM: YouTube channel Banat Trending News posted a video with the title: JUST IN! SAWAKAS PDUTERTE! SEN. DELIMA CONFIRMED! PUMANA4AW NA?
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RATING: This is false.
FACTS:
What the post claims
The video started with an unnamed narrator claiming that posts of De Lima passing away is "viral and trending" on social media, although it did not attach specific posts on it.
The narrator instead said videos of De Lima, which are part of campaign ads, showed that she has lost weight and may be sick.
This prompted social users to supposedly say they are saddened of news of De Lima’s passing is true but thought she deserved it her “karma” for her what “bad things” she did in the country, although no incident was cited.
Philstar.com screengrab, March 16 9:17 a.m.
What it left out
De Lima's chief of staff and deputy campaign manager Fhillip Sawali branded this as fake news. "The senator is alive and well. In fact, she was just interviewed by three media outlets yesterday (Tuesday) at the PNP Custodial Center, Camp Crame," he told Philstar.com.
De Lima has regularly been sending hand-written dispatches from her detention cell in Camp Crame. She sent out a dispatch on March 15 on the red-tagging of supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo.
Her team also continues to campaign for her in campaign caravans as part of the slate of Robredo and Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan.
Essential context
De Lima is a staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte. She has been in detention since February 2017 over three drug charges filed against her over her alleged hand in the proliferation of narcotics trade at the New Bilibid Prison during her sting as justice secretary.
De Lima asserted that these are politically motivated — an allegation the Palace has long denied. She has since been acquitted in one charge and has pending two conspiracy to commit drug trade before the Muntinlupa court.
In April 2021, De Lima was brought to the hospital for a three-day medical checkup, although test results showed no signs of stroke.
Curiously, the video focused on De Lima but halfway through, the narrator quoted a social media post that started with shock of De Lima’s passing and then went to say that good always trumps evil.
The social media user then thanked Duterte for “cleaning the government and developing the country” and they believe that presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is the only candidate who is smart brave and with love for country, like the incumbent president.
Why does it matter?
Just a day since the video was posted, it already earned 93,000 views on YouTube, with 1,700 likes. The video landed on Philstar.com’s monitoring of YouTube channels that have been flagged for sharing misinformation,
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez also earlier said the poll body is monitoring attempts at voter suppression, such as making the voter believe that one candidate has died, has backed out, has been disqualified or otherwise out of the running.
De Lima is not the first candidate to mount an election campaign from detention.
READ: Philippine politicians who have run for election behind bars
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