MISSING CONTEXT: Robredo committed election violation with 2016 campaign funds

At a glance

• Claim: A Facebook video posted on Tuesday, July 27, implied that Vice President Leni Robredo committed an election violation regarding campaign funds for her 2016 campaign.
• Rating: MISSING CONTEXT
• The facts: Robredo’s quote has been cropped and spliced with an explainer on prohibited sources of campaign funds. In the full interview, Robredo talks about several fundraisers, which are not prohibited by law.
• Why we fact-checked this: This Facebook post was sent to Rappler for verification. As of writing, the video has over 8,700 reactions and 4,100 shares.

Complete details

A video posted by Facebook page “Jevara PH” on Tuesday, July 27, implies that Vice President Leni Robredo committed an election violation regarding campaign funds for her 2016 campaign.

The spliced video shows then-vice presidential candidate and congresswoman supposedly Robredo talking about receiving campaign funds via her personal account. In the video, Robredo says, “Nag-file ako ng certificate of candidacy noong October, maraming mga nagdo-donate na ’pinapasok ko sa aking personal account.”

([When] I filed my certificate of candidacy in October, many people donated [funds] that I put into my personal account.)

Robredo’s line in the interview is also used in the caption to imply her alleged violation of election rules. 

Immediately after this quote, the video shows journalist Ces Drilon asking Robredo, “So you received the campaign funds personally?” Robredo replied, “’Yung iba, ’yung iba. Pero halos lahat, ’yung akin campaign team, na pinapangunahan ni Senator Bam Aquino, sila talaga nag-ma-manage ng lahat.”

(Some of them. But most of the funds are managed by my campaign team, led by Senator Bam Aquino.)

The rest of the clip shows snippets of one of Aquino’s campaign videos for his 2019 senatorial reelection bid, as well as snippets of a 2015 video explainer from CNN Philippines on prohibited sources of campaign funds.

This claim lacks context.

The video of Robredo was taken from a Bandila interview posted on May 3, 2016, on ABS-CBN News’s official YouTube channel. The video is 15 minutes and 34 seconds long.

Before Drilon asks the follow-up question about receiving the campaign funds personally, Robredo’s full quote at the 3:45 mark of the video is, “Nag-file ako ng certificate of candidacy noong October, maraming mga nagdo-donate na ’pinapasok ko sa aking personal account, so kailangan ko ’yun isiwalat.”

([When] I filed my certificate of candidacy in October, many people donated [funds] that I put into my personal account, so I had to disclose that.)

Later in the Bandila interview, Robredo enumerates a number of sources at the 10:19 mark. She talks about her volunteers’ fundraising efforts, which including hosting dinners as well as selling lugaw (porridge), which later becomes a recurring joke used by pro-administration trolls.

Moreover, the CNN explainer only talks about soliciting or receiving funds being prohibited only if they come from sources listed in Article XI, Section 95, of the Omnibus Election Code. Fundraisers for candidates are not prohibited.

In the spliced video posted by Jevara PH, Robredo does not mention anything about the sources of her campaign funds. She only talks about where the donated funds have gone.

In the Bandila interview, Robredo also talks about how politicians and candidates alike “owe it to the people” to be transparent about their financial transactions. Robredo has consistently made public her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs). – Alois Isinika and Gaby Baizas/Rappler.com

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