Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday, December 12, called the list of people allegedly conniving to unseat President Rodrigo Duterte posted by former Davao City vice mayor Paolo “Pulong” Duterte as “fake news.”
“The first time I saw that posting: I said it’s fake news. I still maintain that is fake news,” he told reporters after leading the transfer ceremony of the Balangiga Bells back to the Philippines at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City.
The president’s son on Friday, December 7, posted screenshots of a spreadsheet labeled “ANTI-ADMINISTRATION GROUP OUST DUTERTE MOVEMENT” on Facebook.
“Gi-send ra ni sa akoa ha… Share lang nako kay para bibo. (This was just sent to me. I’ll share it for fun),” the former vice mayor said.
The list included a mix of administration critics, politicians, and companies like Jollibee and PLDT.
The post has already been taken down, but not before it amassed thousands of shares from netizens.
Vice President Leni Robredo, who was included in the list, in a statement slammed the list as “irresponsible.”
Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, meanwhile, defended defended Paolo Duterte’s decision to post the list, reasoning that it was part of his “freedom of expression.”
Paolo Duterte is running for Congress in the 2019 elections.
