MISLEADING: Viral post falsely quotes Erwin Tulfo as urging Filipinos to ‘forget’ the alleged missing P1.7 trillion

Sobaidah Gubat

A Facebook post circulating online claims that Senator Erwin Tulfo called on Filipinos to “forget” the alleged missing P1.7 trillion linked to the government’s flood control projects.

CLAIM:

The post claims that Sen. Tulfo urged people to forget the P1.7 billion lost from the flood control controversy and to stop pursuing accountability over the alleged anomalies involving the flood control budget.

RATING: MISLEADING

CONCLUSION:

Senator Erwin Tulfo did not make the statement attributed to him in the viral post. While the claim appears to be based on a real interview about the Senate’s flood control investigation, the post falsely presents an interpretation of his remarks as a direct quotation. In the interview, Tulfo argued that the Office of the Ombudsman was already investigating the case and that the Senate should also focus on other pressing national issues. At no point did he say that Filipinos should “forget” the alleged missing P1.7 trillion.

THE FACTS:

• The viral post is based on a real interview in which Tulfo discussed the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s investigation into the alleged flood control anomalies.
• During the interview, Tulfo asked, “Iikot na lang ba ang mundo natin sa flood controls? Can’t we move forward? Marami pa namang problema na dapat imbestigahan.” He was referring to the Senate’s priorities, not telling the public to disregard the issue.
• Tulfo also said, “Why don’t we just wait for the Ombudsman?” explaining that the Office of the Ombudsman was already conducting its own investigation while the Senate’s role is to investigate in aid of legislation.
• Nowhere in the interview did Tulfo say, “Kalimutan na lang ang nawawalang P1.7 trillion,” nor did he call on Filipinos to ignore or dismiss the alleged anomalies.

THE BOTTOMLINE:

Senator Erwin Tulfo did not tell Filipinos to “forget” the alleged missing P1.7 trillion. The viral Facebook post misquotes his remarks from a real interview, making the claim misleading.