FALSE: Vico Sotto quote on who to vote for in next elections

Claim: Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto supposedly said in a Facebook live video that voters should elect public officials who don’t curse at God, lie, rape and kill people, and steal.

According to an image on Facebook, Sotto supposedly said, “Lesson ‘yan sa inyo na kung boboto kayo sa susunod, ang inyong iboboto yung hindi minumura ang God at hindi sinungaling, hindi rapist, hindi mass killer, hindi magnanakaw.”

(That’s a lesson for you, that the next time you vote, the person you vote for doesn’t curse at God, lie, isn’t a rapist, a mass killer, and a thief.)

The image included the line above, a picture of Sotto in a blue shirt against a blue background, and his name. It also identified a live broadcast on his Facebook page on Sunday, April 12, as the source of the quote.

This was posted on Facebook by user Jorge Macenas on April 13. It has gotten 108 reactions, 22 comments, and 209 shares as of posting.

This claim was sent to Rappler by a reader for checking.

Rating: FALSE

The facts: Sotto did not say what was attributed to him supposedly in his Facebook live video on April 12. The graphic is a manipulated version of one posted by Inquirer.net on April 13.

In the 45-minute video, Sotto gave an update on the grocery/food packs being distributed among the residents of Pasig, the government’s emergency subsidy program, and medical facilities in Pasig in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A reverse image search of the graphic also shows a similar graphic posted on Inquirer.net’s Facebook page on April 13. Their graphic uses the same photo of Sotto in a blue shirt with the blue background and also cites his April 12 Facebook live video.

The quote on the Inquirer.net graphic, however, says, “All families in need who are not on the DSWD list will be covered by the local government.”

As of Wednesday, April 15, there have been 5,453 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines, with 353 recoveries and 349 deaths. There have been more than two million COVID-19 infections reported worldwide, with more than 131,000 deaths. – Vernise L Tantuco/Rappler.com

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