A netizen claiming to be a parishioner in Barangay San Pedro, Laguna sent a tip to Facebook commenter Maharlika about the church requiring all churchgoers to sign a petition for the impeachment of President Rodrigo Duterte.
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Maharlika even posted the tip on her page on December 20, 2016.
And the post naturally angered the netizens, who reacted negatively to what the church was supposedly doing.
The story was picked up by several blogs and shared by Duterte and Marcos fan pages, such as “President Duterte News,” “Tatay Digong – Unofficial,” “Duterte Warriors,” “Marcos Warriors,” and more.
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However, San Pedro Apostol Parish’s parish priest, Rev. Fr. Pablo T. Bugay Jr., issued a statement via its official Facebook page on December 21, 2016, the day after the tip was made public.
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“It has come to our attention that there is an article circulating in the internet regarding a signature campaign in our parish to impeach President Duterte,” the priest said.
“We would like to clarify that we do not have this kind of action. Neither I, nor our parochial vicar, has forced our parishioners to sign or support such petition,” he added.
The church also warned netizens to beware of fake news and be responsible in sharing news articles.
“Responsible use of social media is highly encouraged,” Fr. Bugay said, adding a prayer for the “malicious websites” spreading the false tip against them.
Be Informed. Beat the Trolls, Share the Truth!
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