MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday refuted claims that the Philippine embassy in Canberra asked someone to appear before Philippine authorities over a remark on social media against President Rodrigo Duterte.
The statement was in response to the viral post of Josef Leroi Garcia on Facebook, who claimed his niece was invited to Canberra to appear before Philippine authorities.
Garcia said his niece is no longer a Filipino citizen.
“According to our Philippine embassy in Canberra, none of the Philippine Foreign Service Posts in Australia have invited Ms.
Laxina to appear before any Philippine official in Australia. Furthermore, its database has no information on the whereabouts of Ms.
Laxina – Mr. Garcia’s niece referred to in his post whom he claimed to be ‘being hunted’ by the Philippine authorities,” the DFA said in a statement.
“The DFA wishes to remind the public to be discerning of information being presented to them especially in this time of crisis,” the agency added.
Garcia’s niece, unnamed in the viral post, allegedly asked via Facebook the outlawed Abu Sayyaf terrorist group to help kill President Duterte.
Garcia claimed his niece was attacked online for her post and “is now being hunted by no other than the PSG (Presidential Security Group) who, aided by local police and NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), have swooped down on our small town of Macabebe, Pampanga to harass our relatives and her FB friends, 20 of them to be exact.”