FACT CHECK: Malabon congressman did not wish for Sara Duterte’s death, office says

The office of Malabon City Representative Antolin “Lenlen” Oreta III has debunked a viral social media claim that the congressman wished death upon Vice President Sara Duterte. The claim, rated FALSE, was posted on September 7 by a Facebook page named “Malabon Standard,” which has over 10,000 followers. As of writing, the post has garnered over 94,000 reactions, 42,500 comments, and 3,600 shares, and has since been reposted by various pages and accounts. The post quotes Oreta allegedly saying, “Wala akong pake kung you do not feel safe Inday Sara, sana mamatay ka na.” (I don’t care if you don’t feel safe, Inday Sara. I hope you die.) Oreta’s media office confirmed to Rappler via email on Tuesday, September 8, that the congressman did not make the statement. “We would like to clarify that Congressman Oreta did not make this statement. The quote is fabricated and is being falsely attributed to him,” his office said. In a Facebook post on September 7, Oreta himself labeled the circulating quote as false and cautioned users to be wary of pages and posts using his image and name, urging them to check official sources for verification. Oreta was among the 257 lawmakers who voted to impeach Duterte for a second time. ‘I do not feel safe’: The fabricated quote appears to be a response to Duterte’s remarks when she arrived at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court on September 5 to post bail, after the court ordered her arrest on three counts of grave threats over her alleged assassination threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his allies. While at the court to post her P360,000 bail — P120,000 for each count — she expressed concern for her safety, repeatedly claiming that she doesn’t trust the authorities and wanted to bring people, including the media, inside the court. “I do not feel safe. I do not feel safe anywhere. Pumunta lang ako [rito] kasi sabi ninyo pupunta ako sa court (I only went here because you told me I needed to appear in court),” Duterte said. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla responded to Duterte’s statements, saying the Philippine National Police “accorded her all the respect her position deserves” and that they have a copy of all police body cam footage from Duterte’s arrival until her posting of bail. Duterte has been claiming that there are security threats against her. According to her impeachment lawyers, there is a threat against the Duterte family called “Operation Romanov,” a reference to the execution of Russia’s last imperial family. – Lourence Angelo Marcellana/Rappler.com Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at [email protected]. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.