MANILA, Philippines – Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary Tonisito Umali will take legal action against a fake Facebook page on the Palarong Pambansa that falsely credited to him a quote shaming fat teachers.

“To all those who care for DepEd Usec Toni and our family: Please help us inform everybody about the fake news – fake Facebook accounts/pages and posts concerning DepEd Usec Ton. These are all lies and we will take legal action against those responsible for these criminal actions,” a staff member of Umali told reporters. 

The staff member of the DepEd undersecretary for the legislative liaison office was referring to a Facebook page named “Palarong Pambansa,” but with the username @DepEdUsecUmali.

The page was created recently, with its earliest post uploaded on Wednesday, May 23. 

The Facebook page posted a graphic containing an alleged quote by Umali: “Marami ang mga public teachers natin ang tumataba. Dapat magkaroon tayo ng weight requirements. Kaya nga gumagawa tayo ng sports and fitness program tulad ng Palarong Pambansa, para pumayat naman sila.”

(A lot of public school teachers are getting fat. We need to impose weight requirements. That’s why we created sports and fitness programs like the Palarong Pambansa so they will lose weight.) 

The DepEd, however, did not create an official Palarong Pambansa page. The quote itself is faulty as well, because only students can compete at the national games for young athletes.

The fake quote has gone viral, garnering more than 7,600 reactions and over 10,000 shares as of early Saturday afternoon, May 26. The fake Facebook page has been liked by more than 2,600 people. – Rappler.com