FACT CHECK: ‘News’ graphic listing confidential fund recipients from VP Sara trial is fake

‘The edited image contains fabricated names that do not appear in the original graphic,’ Philstar.com said in an August 4 Facebook post Claim: During the 11th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, 22 names listed in acknowledgment receipts tied to the Office of the Vice President’s confidential funds were revealed, including Miggy Mango, Chippy Mcdonald, and Annie Gher. Rating: FALSE Why we fact-checked this: Posts with the supposed graphic have been circulating online, with the most popular one garnering 1,900 reactions, 208 shares, and 132 comments. The graphic has the heading “The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte” along with her photo. The following names are listed: Miggy Mango Xiaome Ocho Fernando Tempura Malou Wang Chippy Mcdonald Chino Pacia Gina Kolka Jay Kamote Lucky U. Tengco Allan Dico Dodong Bunal Ada Dy Pining Garcia Tommo Wadsia Rey Pinioco Tinnee Gasun Mekuto Fukiko Annie Gher Cindy Cath Oh Ma. Katy A. Koh Gina Hasa Malachi Uy Tiengco Some posts use a different graphic style, but have the same exact list of names. Comments in these posts show that social media users believe the list to be genuine. Some criticized Duterte for “making fun” of the public, while others defended the use of these names because of the “confidential” nature of the activities warranting the use of aliases. The facts: In an August 4 Facebook post, Philstar.com debunked the viral graphic which was patterned after their impeachment trial cards. “Philstar.com did not create or publish the altered version of its impeachment trial graphic currently circulating online. The edited image contains fabricated names that do not appear in the original graphic,” the news outlet said. The real graphic by Philstar.com was posted on August 3, and it lists only 11 names as being recorded in acknowledgment receipts tied to the Office of the Vice President’s confidential funds: Mary Grace Piattos Renan Piattos Nova Santos Mico Harina Janice Marie Revilla Patty Ting Andi Lim Alejandro Pikit Feonna Biong Sisfrunio Balsac Gabriel Bisaya These 11 names are the only ones found in the Senate’s journal and livestream for August 3. The names in the fabricated graphic cannot be found in these official records. Aliases: The 11th day of Duterte’s impeachment trial tackled the Commission on Audit’s findings regarding the confidential and intelligence funds of the departments she handled: the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education. It began with the prosecution’s direct examination of state auditor Roderick Wamil. Among the issues discussed were the names found in the acknowledgement receipts submitted for the liquidation of these funds. House private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan poked fun at the names during her questioning of Wamil. The next day, she concluded her direct examination of Wamil by calling the use of these confidential and intelligence funds a “scam.” Wamil said aliases are neither prohibited nor recognized under the 2015 joint memorandum circular that lists the guidelines on the handling of confidential and intelligence funds. Debunked: Rappler has debunked other claims about Duterte’s impeachment trial: FACT CHECK: Posts misrepresent COA auditor’s ‘no violation’ remarks on OVP confidential funds FACT CHECK: Spliced video misrepresents Chel Diokno statement on VP Sara’s financial records FACT CHECK: NBI agent Calilung not arrested after VP Sara trial testimony FACT CHECK: No clash between De Lima, VP Sara at impeachment trial; video is AI-generated FACT CHECK: Video of VP Sara arguing with Escudero over impeachment is AI-generated – Shay Du/Rappler.com Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to the #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time. How does this make you feel? Loading