Website Kanto NewsPH (kantonewsph.xyz) published May 18 a fake news story claiming Sen. Leila de Lima will be transferred to the national penitentiary New Bilibid Prison, a move, the story also alleges, that has gotten Bureau of Corrections chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa “excited.”
The only development involving the opposition senator, who is currently being detained in Camp Crame, is that her arraignments in two cases have been moved to June and August after she filed on May 18 a motion to quash the charges against her, which had been amended from illegal drug trading, to conspiracy to trade illegal drugs while she sat as justice secretary.
Lawyer Filibon Tacardon, De Lima’s counsel, made no mention of a transfer to Bilibid nor of Dela Rosa as he talked to reporters after the hearings that day in Muntinlupa City. A 10-minute footage of this interview was used by Kanto NewsPH.
The story, which bore the fabricated headline “SA WAKAS! DELIMA ILILIPAT SA BILIBID BATO DELA ROSA EXCITED NA! PANOORIN (Finally! Delima to be transferred to Bilibid, Bato Dela Rosa is excited! Watch),” could have reached more than three million people.
Traffic to the story was largely generated from social media by Facebook pages President Rody Duterte -Federal Movement International, President Duterte Worldwide Supporters and President Duterte Astig Supporters. Kantonewsph.xyz was created on May 4; Youtube channel Pro Duterte Ka Ba?, which uploaded Tacardon’s video, in May 2016.
(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
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