By Argyll Cyrus Geducos
Malacañang shrugged off viral memes attributing fake quotes praising the Duterte administration to prominent and even fictional personalities.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo
(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo made the statement as fake quotes showing support for or praising President Duterte go viral on social media and are being spread by administration supporters.
In a text message, Panelo said the public should just ignore the fake quotes.
"I guess persons of evil thoughts and deeds will always surface. Just ignore them," he said.
Publication materials have surfaced on Facebook and Twitter attributing fake quotes praising the President to prominent foreign personalities like Queen Elizabeth II.
Some quotes are even attributed to fictional characters like Annalise Keating, the main character from American series "How To Get Away With Murder" played by Viola Davis, and even to Captain Ri Jeong Hyeook, the lead character from the hit Korean drama "Crash Landing On You" played by Hyun Bin.
There are even social media posts citing using fake quotes, fake characters, and incorrect photos like a certain Berlin Bellaciao, a supposed professor from the University of Italy. The post, however, used the photo of Spanish Actor Alvaro Morte, one of the lead stars of the Netflix series "La Casa De Papel" where Berlin was one of the main characters and the song "Bella Ciao" was always used.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson labeled a social media post as fake news. The post made it appear that Panelo castigated the poor people for complaining about the government's efforts against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, saying they have not contributed anything to the government.
The said post, which contained Panelo's photo and used the template of Inquirer.net, said the poor should just be thankful they are given social amelioration benefits.
The fake quote replaced Panelo's original statement which called on the public to make suggestions to the government instead of criticizing the administration's efforts or lapses.