FACT CHECK | Post about Luz Ilagan’s ‘praise’ for Paolo Duterte is satire
Facebook user Balat Sibuyas (onion-skinned) posted that former Department of Social Welfare and Development Undersecretary Luzviminda Ilagan reportedly praised Paolo Duterte’s “treatment of women.”
In the post, a photo of Ilagan — a former teacher and three-term Gabriela party-list Representative and the incumbent President of the Davao Historical Society, is paired with the quote: “I saw him grow up, I nurtured him, and I’m really proud of the way he turned out.” The post is titled “Davao’s #1 Feminist Praises Paolo Duterte for Treating Women with Respect.”
The post is SATIRE, as with the rest of the posts of the Facebook User.
We are fact-checking this post as there are social media users who seem to believe the quote is real. Ilagan herself has denied the statement. “I NEVER said those things,” she told MindaNews. It was apparently designed to exaggerate to incite a discussion during election time.
For its part, Facebook and its parent company do not prevent satire and treats it as protected speech.
However, the social media company requires users who post parody and satire to indicate this in their Profile.
According to Meta’s policies: “If you intend to parody, express support for, or show interest in another person or business, you must make it clear to others that you do not represent di and are not authorized to speak on behalf of that person or business. You should, at a minimum, ensure that the name, bio and username of your additional profile make your intentions abundantly clear.”
In a 2022 yearender, Vera Files cited Meta’s guidelines on satire as: “content that uses irony, exaggeration, or absurdity for criticism or awareness, particularly in the context of political, religious, or social issues, but that a reasonable user would not immediately understand to be satirical.”
Based on a check on the Balat Sibuyas’s transparency tab, the account seems to be an old account created on June 21, 2009. To date, the account is anonymous, and no one has claimed to be behind the account.
The post does not explicitly mention the filing of a complaint against Paolo Duterte on May 2, for alleged physical injuries and grave threats against a person inside a bar in Davao CIty ast February 23.
A video of Paolo Duterte, Representative of the 1st District and eldest son of former President Rodrigo Duterte, went viral last May 2, with Paolo seemingly assaulting and threatening a man in a bar in Obrero.
In a message sent to media, Ilagan had this to say about the post:
To Balat Sibuyas: Are you so desperate for a following that you resort to inventing statements NEVER made by the person concerned? This is as fake as the fake persona you have created for yourself. Do not drag into the quagmire of your underhanded posts people who are not into your dirty business.
MindaNews reached out to the social media profile of Balat Sibuyas to react to the negative feedback about the post.
“It’s satire. As Michael Moore says, either you get it or you don’t. The ‘negative’ feedback can mean one thing: it works as intended,” the anonymous page admin said.
The post has been shared at least 27 times, with the post gathering 23 comments and at least 145 reactions, as of May 8, 10:53 p.m.
Mindanao Times, a community newspaper based in Davao City, posted a screenshot of Balat Sibuyas’s post along with Ilagan’s statement.
The post was widely shared and received 69 shares, 75 comments, and 701 reactions as of May 8, 10:04 p.m.
Pro-Duterte accounts, based on profile pictures and account names, were among those who shared the Mindanao Times post.
It’s not clear whether the pro-Duterte shares were because of Ilagan’s response statement or if they support the fictional statement.
In Filipino, balat-sibuyas (literally onion-skinned) means ‘quick to react or get hurt.’
As with all our other reports, MindaNews welcomes fact check leads or suggestions from the public.
MindaNews is a verified signatory to the Code of Principles of the International Fact-Checking Network. (Yas D. Ocampo / MindaNews)
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