Two recent YouTube videos have falsely claimed that the 2016 vice presidential election was fraudulent despite the Presidential Electoral Tribunal’s (PET) ruling that there was no evidence of cheating.
The Supreme Court, sitting as the PET, unanimously junked on Feb. 16, 2021 the electoral protest filed by former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. against Vice President Leni Robredo.
The high court dismissed the petition “for lack of merit,” saying:
(P)rotestant (Marcos) still failed to substantiate his allegations of massive anomalies and irregularities· in protestee's (Robredo’s) favor. Instead, he chose to make sweeping allegations of wrongdoing and submitted incomplete and incorrect data.
Marcos polled 14,155,344, losing to Robredo who got 14,418,817 in the 2016 vice presidential race.
Marcos and Robredo are again pitted against each other in this year’s elections, this time in the presidential race.
YouTube channel PH BREAKING NEWS incorrectly insisted in its Jan. 5 video that cheating occurred in 2016 and that Commission on Elections officials Jaimes Jimenez and Andres Bautista ought to be sacked to safeguard this year’s polls. It said:
Para magkaroon ng malinis at patas na halalan, ay tanggalin na sa pwesto bilang commissioner sina (James) Jimenez at Andres (Bautista) na di umanoy isa sa naging daan upang madaya ang nakaraang eleksyon (To ensure clean and fair elections, Commissioners Jimenez and Bautista who paved the way for cheating in the last election must be removed from office).
Jimenez is the Comelec spokesperson and has never been a commissioner. Juan Andres Bautista stepped down as the poll body’s chairman in 2017.
The Comelec is currently headed by Sheriff M. Abas along with Ma. Rowena Amelia V. Guanzon, Socorro B. Inting, Marlon S. Casquejo, Antonio T. Kho Jr. and Aimee P. Ferolino as commissioners.
Showbiz Fanaticz, a frequently fact-checked YouTube channel, also falsely claimed on Jan. 10 that the 2016 elections were fraudulent and warned that this year’s may be no different.
It cited as basis a Jan. 10 Manila Bulletin report that Comelec servers had been hacked and sensitive data related to the coming elections stolen. The poll body has refuted the report.
Showbiz Fanaticz said in a five-minute video that carried the photos of Robredo and Jimenez:
Maaari ring magkaroon ng dayaan katulad noong mga nakaraang halalan (There might be fraudulent elections similar to the previous one).
It also said:
Nangangamba ngayon ang marami sa kanyang mga taga-suporta na tila muling mangyayari ang diumano’y dayaan noong 2016 elekyson kung saan ay natulong lamang raw ang partido ni Bongbong Marcos ay agad na siyang natalo ni Vice President Leni Robredo pag dating sa bilangan noong 2016 vice presidential elections (Many of Marcos’ supporters fear that cheating would happen again similar to the 2016 elections when Marcos’ party woke up to find that he had lost to Vice President Leni Robredo in the counting).
PH BREAKING NEWS’ video has drawn 14,788 views, 265 likes and 91 comments while Showbiz Fanaticz’ post has garnered 54,175 views and 955 comments as of writing. (JAC and SR)
References
Bautista, J. A. [Andy Bautista]. (2017, October 11). Andy Bautista on [Photo]. Twitter. https://mobile.twitter.com/ChairAndyBau/status/917939909377142785/photo/1
COMELEC. (2018, March 19). Past members of COMELEC. https://comelec.gov.ph/?r=AboutCOMELEC/CommissionMembers/PastMembersofCOMELEC&pmcdt=
COMELEC. (2021, May 26). Present members of the commission. https://comelec.gov.ph/?r=AboutCOMELEC/CommissionMembers
Manila Bulletin (2022, January 10). Comelec servers hacked; Downloaded data may include information that could affect 2022 elections. https://mb.com.ph/2022/01/10/comelec-servers-hacked-downloaded-data-may-include-information-that-could-affect-2022-elections/
Marcos v. Robredo, PET Case No. 005, pg. 91. (Feb. 16, 2021) (Phil.). https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/18172/
PH BREAKING NEWS. (2022, January 5). JUST IN : GOOD NEWS! PRES DUTERTE SAWAKAS ØPISYALIS ng COMÉLEC SIBAK | BBM MAYOR SARA EASY WIN NA [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/-xRnl_HKNUY
Salaverria, L. B. (2016, May 28). It’s Duterte, Robredo in final count. INQUIRER.Net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/787902/its-duterte-robredo-in-final-count
Showbiz Fanaticz. (2022, January 10). NAKAKAGUKAT: DATA BASE ng COMELEC NA HACKED NA| Mga PLANONG PANDARAYA Kay BONGBONG MARCOS BISTADO!!. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/kIBwY-Fhj60
Supreme Court of the Philippines. (2021, February 16). Press briefer. https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/17015/
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