“The photo is genuine but the caption is a fake!”
This is the reaction of Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol to the viral meme with a malicious caption suggesting President Duterte and his Cabinet officials used taxpayers’ money to watch the Pacquiao-Matthysse fight.
Piñol dismissed the viral meme as “a crude attempt to peddle lies” to attack President Duterte.
Piñol said the Duterte trip was a private one, to watch his friend, Manny Pacquiao fight Argentinian champion Lucas Mathysse.
However, President Duterte made full use of the private trip by meeting with newly-elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.
On question if the PSG accompanied President Duterte’s trip? Pinol said it’s the job of the PSG to escort the President 24/7.
To stress her point that the President’s Kuala Lumpur trip was a junket, worse, the Facebook posted a photo taken inside a plane showing the President with alleged members of his junket team.
Piñol said this is fakery at its worse.
Why? Because Piñol was in the photo which is a big lie.
Piñol said he stayed home because it was his son’s 16th birthday although he wanted to watch the fight. In case you don’t know, Piñol is an avid boxing fan who dabbled as boxing commentator while working as a journalist and then as Governor of North Cotabato.
Read the full text below.
I was not in Malaysia!
PEDDLING A FAKE PHOTO
TO ATTACK PRES. DUTERTE
My friend Bruce Tolentino re-posted an article with two photos which claimed were proofs of the junket made by President Rody Duterte and his group in watching the Pacquiao-Mathysse fight in Kuala Lumpur last weekend.
The Facebook page post by a Len Estrella de David attempted to attack Pres. Duterte saying that taxes were used to cover the trip.
This is a crude attempt to peddle lies.
First, it was as a private trip by the President to watch his friend, Manny Pacquiao fight Argentinian champion Lucas Mathysse.
But just the same, he made full use of the private trip by meeting with newly-elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.
Was the President escorted by the members of the Presidential Security Group?
Of course! That is their job.
In fact, the President is guarded by the PSG 24/7.
Worse, the Facebook post, to emphasize her point of a junket, posted a photo taken inside a plane showing the President with alleged members of his junket team.
This was fakery at its worse.
Why? It is because I appeared in the photo!
The fact is, while I wanted to join the President in watching the fight, I stayed behind because it was my son, Bernhart Immanuel’s 16th birthday.
I was at home and I was not with the President in Malaysia.
The photo is genuine but the caption is a fake!
