THE chief of staff of Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy slammed Quezon City Representative Patrick Michael Vargas after the legislator presented what appears to be fake photographs at a congressional hearing last week,.
The photographs, which Vargas said came from a Facebook post, show the Cagayan de Oro Mayor and City Councilor Alam Lim with controversial Chinese businessman Tony Yang.
Vargas presented the photographs during a House probe on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos), illegal drugs, and extrajudicial killings.
Shiella Lumbatan, Uy’s chief of staff, said Vargas should have verified the veracity of photographs before presenting these to the public.
The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) likewise decried the presentation of the photographs at a Congressional inquiry and called on legislators to be more discerning to avoid inadvertently spreading disinformation.
KBP local head Ronald Rufin said Congressional inquiries need to be based only on facts and not on unverified information.
Netizens also criticized the use of the manipulated images. In a Facebook post, local resident Allan Sambaan said the House committee on ethics should look into the matter to avoid a similar incident in the future
