HOAX: Ronald dela Rosa ‘held at airport,’ ‘persona non grata’ in U.S.

Rappler.com

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HOAX: Ronald dela Rosa ‘held at airport,’ ‘persona non grata’ in U.S.
A Facebook user supplies an unsubstantiated caption for some pictures of the ex-Bureau of Corrections chief and 2019 senatorial aspirant who went to the United States

Claim: Former Bureau of Corrections director general and ex-Philippine National Police chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa was supposedly held at an airport in the United States because he was “persona non grata” (an unwelcome person) in that country.

Facebook user Santara Danilo on Friday, December 14, posted photos of Dela Rosa sitting in an airport floor, with a caption in all caps: “Sino kaya ang tunggak na ito na hinold muna sa JFK airport[?] Persona non grata ka kasi sa US boy.” (Who is this fool held at the John F. Kennedy airport? You are a persona non grata in the US, boy, that’s why.)

As of this posting, the Facebook post got at least 118 interactions, 118 comments, and 202 shares.

A reader submitted this claim to Rappler for verification.

Rating: FALSE

The facts: Dela Rosa was not held at a US airport. He was also not declared a persona non grata by the United States.

The Facebook user misused Dela Rosa’s photos by supplying an unsubstantiated caption.

Dela Rosa indeed went to the US and posted the photos on his Facebook account on December 7. It carries the caption, apparently in jest: “Homeless @ JFK airport, NY. Laag pa more! (Go ahead, travel more!)”

ORIGINAL POST. Ronald dela Rosa posts these photos on his Facebook account on December 7. Screenshot from Dela Rosa's Facebook account

Succeeding posts on his Facebook account show that he has gone to different places in the US in recent days, like California and Las Vegas.

There are no reports from credible news organizations to support the Facebook user’s claims.

Dela Rosa is running for senator in the 2019 midterm elections. Michael Bueza with Rambo Talabong/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. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.

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