Fact checks on public officials

FALSE: Sotto’s anti-corruption award is an LP ploy

Rappler.com

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FALSE: Sotto’s anti-corruption award is an LP ploy
There is no proof that any organization or individual outside the State Department was involved in the awarding process
At a glance:
  • Claim: Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto’s anti-corruption award from the US Department of State is a ploy of the Liberal Party.
  • Rating: FALSE
  • The facts: There is no proof that any organization or individual outside the State Department was involved in the awarding process. The US Department of State did not mention any lobbying or voting process for the award or any other party, organization, or group involved in granting the award. 
  • Why we fact-checked this: The videos with this claim have a total of 196,766 views on YouTube as of writing. 
Complete details:

An excerpt of a February 26 video by YouTube commentator Banat By (Byron Cristobal) was reuploaded by the channels “Boses ng DDS” and “PH – EU Öfficial.” These videos’ titles claim that Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto’s International Anticorruption Champions Award, given by the US Department of State, is a ploy by the Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP).

The video of “Boses ng DDS” was titled “Anticorruption Award ni VICO SOTTO NABUKO ni BANAT BY ‘Pakana lang ito nga LIBERAL PARTY sa Amerika.’” (Anticoruption award of Vico Sotto exposed by Banat By ‘This is only a ploy by the Liberal Party in America.’) 

The video of “PH – EU Öfficial” was titled: “Magaling pa si VICO SOTTO compare kay [Davao City] mayor SARA DUTERTE? KALUKUHAN! ‘LIBERAL PARTY AWARD YAN.'” (“Vico Sotto is better compared to [Davao City] Mayor Sara Duterte? Nonsense! ‘That’s a Liberal Party award.'”)

These two videos have a total of 196,766 views on YouTube as of writing. 

This claim is false. There is no proof that any organization or individual outside the US State Department was involved in the awarding process.

According to the US State Department, the International Anticorruption Champions Award was launched to honor and support individuals who have bravely led the fight against corruption. They did not mention any lobbying or voting process for the award or any other party, organization, or group involved in granting the award. 

The LP has not issued any statement pertaining to Sotto’s award. Sotto, who was previously a city councilor of Pasig, ran as an independent candidate in the 2016 elections. In 2019, he ran under the party Aksyon Demokratiko. Sotto has not made any statement on the LP, his plans for 2022, or any election in the future.

Also, in the video excerpt, it is unclear whether Cristobal was pertaining to the LP, the American Democratic Party, or Americans who subscribe to a liberal political ideology. There is no major national “liberal party” in America, and there is no known association between the LP and any American political party or the US State Department.

Liberal political views should not be confused with the LP, which is a political party in the Philippines. Likewise, Ang Partido Liberal, or the Liberal Party in the Philippines, is not the same as the Democratic Party in the US. – Therese Litonjua/Rappler.com

This article was written by a Rappler volunteer or intern and reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s internship program here.

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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