By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – Malacañang on Friday slammed the proliferation of “fake news” and “disinformation” about the quality of rice that will be sold for PHP20 per kilo.
This, after a video went viral on social media, showing the allegedly poor quality of rice available to the public under the government’s PHP20-per-kilo rice initiative.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said fake news peddlers are making it appear that the cheaper rice looks like animal feeds.
“Meron po kaming pasabi na mag-ingat po na malamang ay may manabotahe sa proyekto pong ito ng Pangulo patungkol po sa PHP20 per kilo o kada kilo ng bigas (We are warning the public to be careful because it is likely that someone will sabotage this project of the President regarding PHP20 per kilo of rice),” Castro said in a Palace press briefing.
“Ang sinabi po natin ay baka meron na namang fake news peddlers na gumamit at pakita na ang mga bigas na ibebenta ay pang-hayop. Dahil ‘yun po ang sinabi ng Bise Presidente (What we said was that there may be fake news peddlers who will use and show that the rice to be sold is for animals).”
Castro warned the public that there will be more fake news peddlers, after Vice President Sara Duterte criticized the rollout of the PHP20-per-kilo rice in the Visayas.
She reiterated that the rice that will be sold at a cheaper price is the variety that is currently being sold in the market at PHP33 per kilo.
“Mag-ingat po tayo sa fake news peddlers na sinisira ang proyekto, sinisira ang Pangulo, sinisira ang hope, ang pag-asa ng bawat Pilipino (Let’s be careful of fake news peddlers who are destroying the project, destroying the President, destroying the hope, the aspiration of every Filipino),” Castro said.
“Hindi pa po nasisimulan ang paglabas ng bigas na ibebenta sa market at sa Kadiwa patungkol po dito sa proyeko. Hindi pa nga nakikita, wala pang nakikitang bigas na ibebenta, pinipintasan na pang-hayop (The rice that will be sold in the market and in Kadiwa under this project has not yet been released. In fact, there is no rice that will be sold yet but it is also being criticized as animal feed).”
Meantime, Castro also reacted to Duterte’s claim that Marcos was pushing for constitutional amendments, dismissing it as “fake news.”
Castro said there was no discussion on Marcos’ supposed plan to amend the Constitution. (PNA)
