Fake Quotes

FALSE: Congresswoman Eufemia Cullamat wished death upon the children of other activists

Rappler.com

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FALSE: Congresswoman Eufemia Cullamat wished death upon the children of other activists
Cullamat did not bring up her colleagues' children in any of her statements after her daughter's death
At a glance:
  • Claim: After her daughter’s death, Bayan Muna Representative Eufemia Cullamat wished that the same fate would befall the children of fellow Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary-general Renato Reyes.
  • Rating: FALSE
  • The facts: Cullamat did not bring up her colleagues’ children in any of her statements after her daughter’s death.
  • Why we fact-checked this: This claim was sent by a Rappler reader for verification and was also flagged by Facebook Claim Check. It was posted in a group with 12,700 members.
Complete details:

Some Facebook users are circulating a fake graphic with a supposed quote from Bayan Muna Representative Eufemia Cullamat, wishing the children of fellow Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary-general Renato Reyes would die like her daughter. The fake quote card bore the logo of ABS-CBN News.

Cullamat’s daughter Jevilyn was killed in an encounter with the military on November 28, 2020.

Hindi sayang ang pagkamatay ng anak ko. Proud na proud ako sa kanya. Sana mga anak nina Zarate, Renato Reyes, etc. ay ganun rin,” the fake quote card read.

(My daughter’s death was not in vain. I am very proud of her. I wish the same for the children of Zarate, Renato Reyes, etc.)

This claim was sent by a Rappler reader for verification and was also flagged by Facebook Claim Check, a tool that detects dubious content on the platform. It was posted in a group with 12,700 members.

This claim is false. While Cullamat did say her daughter’s life was not put to waste and that she was proud of her, she did not bring up her colleagues’ children in any of her statements after her daughter’s death.

In a statement, Cullamat said, “[Hindi] nasayang ang kanyang buhay na inalay niya para sa bayan at para sa pagdepensa ng aming lupang ninuno. Malaking karangalan sa akin na nagkaroon ng isang anak na naging martir at mandirigma.

(Her life – which she offered for the country and for the defense of our ancestral land – was not wasted. It is a big honor for me to have had a child who became a martyr and a warrior.)

Reverse image search showed that ABS-CBN News published a quote card with the same photo and format as the one used in the false claim, but using a different quote.

Di ako nagtataka kung sumapi sa NPA ang aking anak dahil sa patuloy na nararanasan naming mga katutubo sa mga pagmamalupit at pang-aabuso ng AFP at ng kanilang mga paramilitary groups. Naranasan mismo ito ng aming pamilya. Naniniwala ako na makatwiran ang kaniyang ipinaglalaban pero ibang porma ang kanyang pinili,” it read.

(I would not be surprised if my daughter joined the NPA because of the continuing cruelty and abuse we experience as indigenous people at the hands of the AFP and their paramilitary groups. Our family experienced this ourselves. I believe her cause is reasonable, but she chose a different form.)

Comparison Cullamat quote on Zarate, Reyes' children

Cullamat also filmed a video, which was played during a Senate hearing on red-tagging on December 1. She did not mention Zarate or Reyes’ children there either.

After Jevilyn’s death, President Rodrigo Duterte attacked Zarate and other progressive groups in Congress, claiming they were “legal fronts” of the Communist Party of the Philippines. (READ: ‘King red-tagger’ Duterte distracting public from ‘incompetence’ – Makabayan) – Loreben Tuquero/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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