FALSE: Facebook page of OVP’s Bayanihan E-Konsulta shut down

At a glance

• Claim: The Facebook page of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) Bayanihan E-Konsulta program has been shut down.
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: The Bayanihan E-Konsulta program Facebook page is still accessible. It was never taken down, according to the Office of the Vice President. 
• Why we fact-checked this: The video containing this claim has gained 9,610 views, as of writing.

Complete details

YouTube channel “Showbiz Fanaticz” uploaded a video on May 27, 2021, falsely claiming that the Facebook page of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) Bayanihan E-Konsulta service had been shut down.

Bayanihan E-Konsulta is a free teleconsultation service on Facebook and Messenger for outpatient cases in Metro Manila and nearby provinces or “NCR Plus.” It operates with the help of volunteer doctors and health professionals.

The video was entitled “BREAKING: E-KONSULTA Page ng Office of the Vice President Nag-SHUTDOWN AGAD| VP LENI KINARMA NA!?!” (Breaking: E-Konsulta page of the Office of the Vice President shut down right away | Karma hits Vice President Leni Robredo?)

“Wala pa mang isang linggo ay agad nagshut down ang official Facebook page na E-Konsulta na inilunsad ng Office of the Vice President sa pangunguna ni VP Leni. Ito ang balitang gumimbal sa lahat ng mga taga-suporta ng Office of the Vice President matapos nga ang mismong Facebook page na kanilang inilunsad ay hindi na ma-access ng publiko,” the video said.

(Not even a week has passed after the OVP led by VP Leni launched E-Konsulta when its official Facebook page was shut down. This was the news that shocked all of the OVP’s supporters after the Facebook page the OVP launched turned out to be no longer accessible to the public.)

The video has gained 9,610 views, as of writing.

This claim is false.

The Bayanihan E-Konsulta page is still accessible as of May 28, 2021. According to Robredo’s spokesperson, Barry Gutierrez, all requests on the page since its launch on April 7 had been made through Messenger.

Gutierrez told Rappler that the page had never been taken down since its launch, and that, when it stopped taking requests on April 12 and April 17 to 18, only the Messenger bot was paused. 

The video cited a report by GMA News entitled “OVP’s ‘Bayanihan E-Konsulta’ to temporarily stop receiving requests on Monday.” It was published on April 11, 2021.

The report stated that the OVP would temporarily stop receiving new requests on April 12, 2021, to “integrate external volunteers and fix technical issues and backlogs.” The video left out the part of the article where Robredo said “her office will resume accepting new requests on Tuesday, April 13.”

The service stopped receiving new requests again on April 17 to 18 to allow transitioning to more automated operations. It resumed taking requests on April 19.

“Showbiz Fanaticz” constantly uploads videos containing false information. Here are some links to fact checks of its content:

• FALSE: Congressman Marcoleta files complaint against Justice Leonen
• FALSE: San Beda Law alumni’s manifesto of support calls Pacquiao arrogant
• FALSE: Justice Leonen removed from his post
• FALSE: Del Rosario, Robredo back out of debate with Roque
• FALSE: Zarate, Elago arrested during Labor Day protests

 – Loreben Tuquero/Rappler.com

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