Duterte supporters and a slew of Facebook accounts spread disinformation from Congressman Kiko Barzaga after the Senate shooting incident on Wednesday, May 13
MANILA, Philippines – Not long after gunshots were fired at the Senate on Wednesday night, May 13, Cavite 4th District Representative Kiko Barzaga came armed with false and unverified claims, including multiple deaths and an assassination attempt against senators.
In a now-deleted post on Wednesday night, Barzaga falsely reported “multiple dead after gunfight within Senate building.” Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, after arriving at the Senate building on Wednesday night, said there were no reported casualties during the incident. Barzaga reported the same in a subsequent Facebook post.
Despite the deletion of Barzaga’s false claim of multiple deaths, several Facebook and TikTok accounts, including Duterte propagandist Krizette Chu, began to post screenshots and echo his claim online.
Barzaga also took a video of himself at the Senate premises after the shooting incident on Wednesday night. Captioned “Meow Meow Vlog: Senate Assassination Attempt,” the congressman claimed an “unsuccessful” attempt to “kill a few senators to force a change in Senate leadership.”
“Mukhang excited na sila sa impeachment kaya lahat ginagawa na nila (It seems they are excited about the impeachment so they’re doing everything they can),” Barzaga added.
Hours after, in a separate Facebook post, Duterte propagandist Lorraine Badoy accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of ordering the supposed assassination attempt against senators “to change the [Senate] majority.”
The shooting incident at the Senate happened after the premises went into a lockdown on Wednesday night. This was hours after Senator Bato dela Rosa failed to receive immediate relief from the Supreme Court. He filed a petition to block an arrest warrant against him from the International Criminal Court.
The incident was triggered by a warning shot from Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mau Aplasca on a National Bureau of Investigation agent, according to Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro on Thursday morning, May 14.
Marcos on Wednesday night said there were no standing orders from the executive branch to arrest Dela Rosa.
The former Philippine police chief and staunch Duterte ally showed up at the Senate on Monday, May 11, after a months-long absence as the upper chamber ousted Tito Sotto as Senate president and elected Alan Peter Cayetano to the position. The change in Senate leadership happened the same day the House of Representatives impeached Vice President Sara Duterte for the second time over her alleged wrongdoings, including corruption.
Dela Rosa remained at the Senate premises but left after Wednesday night’s shooting incident, a credible Rappler source said on Thursday morning.
Senate minority bloc knew beforehand?
Several Facebook posts also insinuated that members of the new Senate minority bloc knew about the shooting incident beforehand.
These posts — some of which were published by Duterte supporters as well — named minority senators Win Gatchalian, Raffy Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo, Tito Sotto, Risa Hontiveros, Kiko Pangilinan, Bam Aquino, Lito Lapid, and Ping Lacson, questioning them for leaving the Senate premises before gunshots were fired.
Independent senators JV Ejercito and Migz Zubiri were also called out in some posts.
In an interview with DZBB on Thursday morning, Senator Erwin Tulfo said all senators were supposed to hold a caucus on Wednesday, but Cayetano changed it instead into a majority caucus.
“So, e nag-alisan na, ako umalis din, I believe pati mga kasamahan ko sa minority already left after the session (So, I left, including, I believe, my co-members in the minority, after the session),” Tulfo added.
Hontiveros later called out “bad faith actors” for politicizing Senate employees leaving the premises before the shooting incident.
“There is only one reason some bad faith actors are trying very hard to make this controversial event about me and other minority senators and the times we went home. All this for a man who simply doesn’t want to face the law,” Hontiveros wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.
“So, I hope, to avoid further harm and tension within and outside the Senate, that Senator Dela Rosa submit himself and cooperate with authorities with regard to his [ICC] warrant,” she added in Filipino.
Government looking into disinfo
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), together with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), is monitoring social media posts that are spreading disinformation and sowing harm.
In a text message to Rappler on Thursday, CICC Director Rojun Hosillos said the group’s threat monitoring team is looking into Barzaga’s false claims.
“Whoever is found to have spread disinformation and harm online will not be tolerated by the CICC and proper sanctions will be implemented,” DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said in a video statement in Filipino posted on Thursday.
Aguda also urged the public to share information only from legitimate, official sources.
“In a time of tension and dread, there is no space for fake news and unverified information, edited videos and misleading posts that add to the confusion and fear of the public,” he added.
– Rappler.com
