Netizens have mistaken a satirical news card announcing that Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano was praying for people to forget his P10,000 ayuda (cash assistance) “promise” as real. Some of them ended up attacking him for failing to keep his word and others coming to his defense.
In a Dec. 4 post of the satirical Facebook page Philippine Daily New Society, Cayetano’s picture was inserted in a graphic accompanied by a text that states:
Alan Peter Cayetano prays to God, wishes for everyone to forget his ‘10k ayuda’ promise
Its caption reads:
Report: As the end of the Covid-19 pandemic is in sight, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano prays to God to make everyone forget his 'Sampung Libong Ayuda' promise that he made before winning the recent senatorial election.
A reverse image search showed that the original photo in the satirical graphic claim was taken by Danny Pata and posted on the GMA News website on May 22, 2017–nearly four years before Cayetano launched his cash assistance program. It was taken during a morning prayer on Cayetano’s first Monday as Department of Foreign Affairs chief.
The news card bore the tagline “NEWS YOU CAN’T TRUST” while the Facebook page is labeled as a satire/parody account and “The Country’s Most Unreliable News Source.”
Still believing the graphic to be true, several netizens commented that Cayetano should fulfill his promise and that other members of the Congress must help him in pushing the bill forward.
A netizen who fell for the fake graphic commented:
Hindi Po Kayo Pakikinggan ng DIYOS Mr.Cayetano. At kahit nakapikit Ang mga mata Ng Taong Bayan ay Malinaw Na Panlilinlang Sa kapwa Ang Sinabi Nyo at Sa Pansariling Kapakanan lang Ninyo ito Para Manalo Sa Eleksyon (God won’t listen to you, Mr. Cayetano. And even if the people’s eyes are closed it’s clear that what you said was deceitful and only served your interest in winning the election).
Meanwhile, someone commented in defense of Cayetano:
Cnxa na po kayo Sen Alan Peter Cayetano dahil Hindi Niyo nmn Po kasalanan alam Po Nmin na ipinaglalaban Niyo ito ngunit Anong mggwa Ntin Kung Hindi pa naaprubahan at iilan Lang Po Ang Sumusuporta (Sorry Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, it’s not your fault, we know you were fighting for this but what can we do if it wasn’t approved and only a few are in support?).”
In 2021, then Taguig-Pateros Rep. Cayetano filed House Bill No. 8597 in the 18th Congress which sought to provide a one-time cash assistance of P10,000 to each Filipino family, or P1,500 per family member, whichever is higher.
The bill was not included in the final version of Bayanihan 3 which provided cash subsidies to help Filipinos recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The former House Speaker still launched two programs that provided aid to select beneficiaries. Cayetano’s Sampung Libong Pag-asa provided P10,000 to select individuals from the poorest sectors while his Sari-saring Pag-asa provided P2,500 to P3,500 cash aid to sari-sari store owners.
The Commission on Elections’ rules on political campaigning prompted Cayetano to pause his cash assistance programs in early February when he was running for senator. Netizens have since used Cayetano’s P10,000 ayuda promise as a subject of false and satirical claims.
Cayetano filed another version of the House bill in the Senate in July. The proposed Sampung Libong Pag-asa Law seeks to provide a cash aid of P10,000 to families belonging in the poorest sectors to help them cope amid the COVID-19 crisis.
The Facebook post from the Philippine Daily New Society has garnered around 1,000 reactions, 76 comments and 141 shares as of writing. A tweet version of the satirical graphic has collected 38 likes, 10 retweets and three quote tweets. (GJAB)