Panelo cries foul over ‘malicious imputation’ on anti-Duterte FB page

MANILA — Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Thursday night cried foul over a Facebook post by an anti-Duterte page of an edited photo of him taken from a press briefing purportedly endorsing the slate of opposition senatorial candidates and others.

“I strongly denounce the malicious use of my image for black propaganda and political mudslinging. This is nothing but false news dished out by the supporters of the political opposition, which by its reckoning is headed for a resounding debacle,” he said in a statement.

Panelo, also Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, called the recent Facebook post by the page Malacañang Events and Catering Services a “defamatory imputation” that could mislead netizens.

“While we understand that the post is a political meme, which is the norm in this campaign season, the same, however, amounts to a defamatory imputation. It is a given fact that there are still netizens who believe in what they see or read on the internet, including images that have been obviously altered, edited or photoshopped,” he said.

Panelo said the post shows the opposition’s desperation as election day draws near. He called on Facebook fact-checkers to act on the matter.

“Perhaps, the purported fact-checkers of Facebook can do their job and at least show their impartiality,” he said.

Panelo said the recent post showed he has been effective in his job as President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s spokesperson.

“The attempt at maliciously misleading the voters by circulating online the bogus endorsement, shows that this representation has been effective in neutralizing the black propaganda spread against PRRD, his family and this administration, which the purveyors of the false news hope to succeed in impairing the credibility of the presidential spokesperson,” he said.

“It is an alterable dictum that truth always springs in full splendor no matter how you embellish it or even if you cover it with the Rock of Gibraltar,” he added.