Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines President Archbishop Socrates Villegas denied making a statement condemning the deaths of terrorist leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute.
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A viral fake story claimed that Villegas wished the government forces did not shoot the terrorists in the head to “minimize damage,” adding that the deaths of the terrorists showed there really is extrajudicial killing in the country.
However, we busted that story from the fake news site okd2.com, which tried to pass it off as satire.
Arhcbishop Villegas and the CBCP released an official statement debunking the fake story.
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“Once more, the CBCP is the hapless of fake news. Going viral on social media is a ‘report’ that the CBCP regrets the killing of Messrs. Hapilon and Maute,” Villegas said in a statement.
“The CBCP never made such a statement,” he added.
Villegas said the bishops “laud the gallantry of our soldiers and their heroic efforts to free Marawi.”
He also said that the CBCP will help in rebuilding Marawi City.
“We pray for all the dead, and for lasting peace in Mindanao,” Villegas said.
#StopFakeNews pic.twitter.com/L7RVI5Ip3g
— CBCPNews (@cbcpnews) October 17, 2017
There have been several fake stories written about the CBCP and Archbishop Villegas that we have debunked. These include those stories claiming that the CBCP agreed to Maute’s offer to release the hostaged priest in exchange for the Maute parents, asked for donations for the legal fees of the priest caught with a minor, urged kin of Bulacan massacre to forgive and forget, thousands of adult videos found in Dagupan Cathedral, and more.
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