Negrense senatorial candidate Alex Lacson said he is filing a formal complaint before the TikTok management for a fake video of his representative speaking at the Tropang Leni-Kiko Tagbilaran rally.
Lacson, candidate of the Kapatiran Party and Tropang Leni-Kiko who campaigned in Negros Occidental this week, said on Friday, April 8, that the video has garnered almost 3.5 million views.
“I will formally file a complaint with the management of TikTok. I condemn fake news and videos,” Lacson said.
“Let’s not be fooled by this nefarious video. This is a tactic of fake news peddlers and trolls to mislead and hoodwink our voters… It is the latest in the long deplorable line of fake news and disinformation,” he said.
Lacson said the video that was edited and spliced showed his surrogate speaker saying “ang Presidente ko po ay magnanakaw (my president is a thief)” when he actually said “hindi magnanakaw (is not a thief)”.
The video of his surrogate speaker was also edited to make it appear that he said his president does not pay taxes, has a fake diploma and is afraid of debates when he said the opposite, Lacson said.
It was also made to appear in the video that the crowd at the Leni Robredo rally cheered“BBM” when asked who their president was, which is a blatant falsehood, Lacson said.
“We all know who manufacture these false and fake videos. We also know who is the candidate who benefits most from fake news, lying and misinformation in social media. We have already reported this and we will continue to expose and fight all falsehood with the truth and by giving correct information to the public,” Lacson said.
The primary target for disinformation in social media is Tropang Leni-Kiko and Robredo in particular whose numbers continue to surge despite all the mudslinging and false accusations thrown her way because voters see that she is the most qualified and competent candidate for president, he added.
“I join in solidarity with other victims of fake news in this elections. Let us continue to fight against fake news and continue to spread truth to combat falsehood,” he added.
“The latest incident of fake news involving my representative is a desperate attempt to derail our campaign for a government that is trustworthy and truthful,” he said.*