A Facebook (FB) page has made it appear that Vice President Leni Robredo brought more reporters to cover the turnover of a small number of donated construction materials to typhoon victims. The post gave deflated numbers on the distributed materials.
In a Feb. 6 post, FB page The publisher wrote:
“vp leni nag donate ng tatlong kilong pako | 20 na dos por dos at limang yero | habang kasama ang sang katirbang media
(VP Leni donated three kilograms of nails, 20 pieces of 2”x2” lumber and 5 sheets of corrugated GI sheets | while accompanied by a ton of reporters).”
In support of the claim, the post uploaded an Inquirer.net photo shot a day earlier during Robredo’s turnover of shelter starter kits to 50 families in Barangay Gil Montilla, Sipalay City, Negros Occidental. Beneficiaries were residents whose homes were ravaged by Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) last December.
Millie Kilayko, president of nonprofit organization Negrense Volunteers for Change (NVC) Foundation, told VERA Files Fact Check via email that these were the materials that comprised a shelter starter kit received by each of the beneficiaries:
- 73 pieces of 2”x3”x8” coconut lumber
- 16 pieces of fiber cement boards, and
- 11.2 kilograms of nails.
Kilayko added that the families are also set to receive several more pieces of lumber and about 500 pieces of corrugated GI sheets collectively.
The sheet of iron roofing that appeared in the Inquirer.net’s photo is part of a prototype unit to be constructed in Gil Montilla, the NVC head said.
NVC is one of the Office of the Vice President’s partner organizations in its project to turn over 250 shelter repair kits to families severely affected by Typhoon Odette in six municipalities and cities in southern Negros Occidental.
The FB page’s erroneous post appeared a day after the turnover event.
The false post garnered a total of 5,100 reactions, 643 comments, and 1,000 comments as of Feb. 10. In its comment section, some netizens criticized Robredo for distributing materials enough to build only a “dollhouse,” while another called her “crazy.”
The FB page The Publisher was created on Jan. 27, 2017. The original name used was that of beauty queen and actress Maxine Medina.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)