Fake news seems to be everywhere these days and it has reached even the government official news agency, Philippine News Agency (PNA).
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On May 15, PNA posted an article with this title,”95 nations in 3rd UPR convinced no EJKs in PHL.”
While we can no longer access the original version of the PNA news, Vera Files was able to take a screenshot of the original news.
But PNA took down the story on May 20 and changed the title to “PHL’s human rights situation commended at UPR.”
And this is the current version of the story.
As the fact-checking organization Vera Files has noted, PNA simply replaced its fake news without any apology or reason given.
But the May 15 story from PNA went viral after it was posted by Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson on her Mocha Uson Blog on May 18.
As of May 20, 2:30pm, when Vera Files took a screenshot of Uson’s post, it has already gained almost 9,000 reactions and over 900 shares.
On May 19, Social Welfare Assistant Secretary Lorraine Marie Badoy also posted PNA’s fake news. She insisted that it is not fake news because it came from the PNA, while slamming Inquirer, Phiippine Star, and even the Commission on Human Rights, which she called “CH-f*cking-R.”
While Uson has already removed the post, Badoy’s post is still visible on her wall, earning varied reactions from the netizens.
In Badoy’s post, another pro-Duterte blogger Krizette Laureta Chu seemed to be teasing Badoy to tag someone, who might have accused Badoy of posting fake news. But netizen Maria Lourdes Polotan called Badoy’s attention, telling her that even PNA has taken down its fake news.
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And Asec. Badoy agreed with a netizen who hailed PNA’s fake news as “good news.”
One netizen argued that PNA’s news was not fake news, but was simply exaggerated, which Polotan rebutted.
Another netizen argued against Badoy’s reason about the PNA news not being fake because it came from a government news agency and urged Badoy to own up to her mistake instead of misleading her followers.
Someone also recalled Uson’s promise to fight fake news.
Badoy was also reminded about the need to maintain integrity as a civil servant.
PNA’s May 15 story about the 95 UN member states not being convinced about the EJKs in the Philippines is fake due to the following points:
- The Universal Periodic Review (UPR)’s Twitter account issued a clarification on May 19, saying “#UPR27 Clarification: To our best knowledge, 95 states were not “convinced that EJK is non-existent.”
#UPR27 Clarification: To our best knowledge, 95 states were not “convinced that EJK is non-existent”. Full webcast:https://t.co/3BTqrM2DQ3
— UPR Info (@UPRinfo) May 19, 2017
#UPR27 Clarification: #Japan also said they expect #Philippines to ensure accountability in the anti-drug campaignhttps://t.co/3BTqrM2DQ3
— UPR Info (@UPRinfo) May 19, 2017
#UPR27 Clarification: the UPR is an open and transparent process. All #Philippines docs can be found on our website:https://t.co/HlDpGDDYA8
— UPR Info (@UPRinfo) May 19, 2017
- Vera Files also summarized how several countries condemned the drug killings and recommended to put an end to them.
- End extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, illegal arrests and detention, torture and harassment, including by effectively implementing criminal prohibitions against extrajudicial killings (Canada)
- Immediately end extrajudicial executions and carry out an independent and impartial investigation on all enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions in order to bring the authors of these crimes to justice (Chile)
- Immediately end the campaign of extrajudicial killings, which may amount to crimes against humanity under international law (Ghana)
- Protect and guarantee the right to life and to a fair trial also in the context of the campaign against drug trafficking, and take all necessary steps to guarantee a proportionate use of force by the security forces (Italy)
- Take all necessary steps to ensure prompt, impartial and transparent investigations into alleged unlawful killings and other abuses during anti-drug operations (Hungary)
- Condemn and put an end to unresolved homicides and enforced disappearances (Uruguay)
- Immediately stop all unlawful killings and incitement to carry out killings in the name of the anti-drug campaign (Iceland)
- Put an end to extrajudicial executions and torture, in particular in the context of the fight against drugs (Luxembourg)
- Take efforts to eliminate extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, and intensify efforts to carry out the prosecution of such crimes (Norway)
- Publicly denounce extrajudicial killings and other abuses in the anti-drug campaign (Iceland)
- Take due measures to prevent extrajudicial killings in the country and grant access to the UN Special Rapporteurs on Summary Executions and the Right to Health for impartial and credible investigations (Bulgaria)
- Strengthen investigative and prosecutorial bodies to ensure thorough investigations into all killings, as well as appropriate prosecutions of perpetrators (United States of America)
- Rappler’s Newsbreak reported that DILG Assistant Secretary Epimaco Densing III did not make the claim that 95 nations were convinced that there are no EJKs in the country during the UPR.
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Rappler also wrote that Densing denied describing the information released from the Philippine media as “spoiled and rotten,” something that the PNA claimed he said during a press conference on May 15.
“I never mentioned those words, ‘spoiled and rotten,’” Densing said in a text message to Rappler.
According to Rappler, Densing merely said that the members of the Philippine delegation, headed by now DFA Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, were “very confident” that other nations were convinced by their presentation at the UPR.
“After Senator Alan Peter Cayetano made also an overview of the true situation of the human rights situation in our country, including the anti-illegal drugs campaign. We were very confident that the 109 countries who attended the interaction, the UPR interaction with the Philippines, were convinced,” Densing said.
Densing added that the other states did express concern about the killings in the country and 95 of them made interventions, which Densing clarified as “comments and recommendations.”
“They only mentioned there that we should review the EJKs happening in our country at least in the last 9 months, but they never expressed concern that we should stop with the anti-illegal drugs campaign,” he said.
However, Densing did say that all 95 countries “congratulated” the Philippines for improving the human rights situation in the last five years.
Here’s a part of Densing’s May 15 press conference:
Sources: ( verafiles.org , rappler.com )
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