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| - SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
Claim: Mainstream media did not report the execution of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) this October in Saudi Arabia to protect the image of the Marcos administration.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The claim can be found in an October 8 post in the Facebook group “Protect Vice President Sara Duterte.” It says: “Nakakalungkot na yung kababayan natin na nahatulan ng bitay ngayun lang October hindi manlang binalita sa mainstream media dahil sa minumodmod sa kanila na pera ng administrasyon ngayun (bbm) mapagtakpan lang ang kahinaan ng isang leader…”
(It is sad that news of our countryman sentenced to death just this October was not reported by mainstream media because of the money given to them by the administration [Bongbong Marcos] just to cover up the weakness of a leader.)
As of writing, the post has 114 reactions, 32 comments, and 30 shares.
The post also compared how the Marcos government and the previous Duterte administration handled cases of OFWs on death row. It showed two pictures of former president Rodrigo Duterte with OFW Jennifer Dalquez, who was saved from the death row in the United Arab Emirates and was returned to the Philippines in November 2018, along with the text label, “Duterte time.” Beside this was a picture of a person whose head is covered, purportedly about to be executed, with the label “BBM time.”
The facts: Contrary to the claim, mainstream media reported on the execution of the Filipino on death row in Saudi Arabia. Some of these articles were published even before the claim was posted on Facebook at 10:17 am on October 8. Here are some examples:
- ABS-CBN News article published October 8, 9:34 am (updated the same day at 5:37 pm)
- GMA News Online article published October 8, 9:13 am (updated the same day at 3:31 pm)
- Inquirer.net article published October 8, 9:23 am
- Philippine News Agency article published October 8, 8:25 am
Moreover, according to an October 17 fact-check by Agence France-Presse, the picture of the person whose head was covered — implied to be the Filipino on death row — was taken from a protest photo taken in Bangladesh in 2011.
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Regarding the execution: The Department of Foreign Affairs said the Filipino was executed on October 5 for the murder of a Saudi citizen in 2020 due to a financial dispute, to which the OFW pleaded guilty.
The death sentence was handed down in 2022. The Philippine government said it exhausted all options to save the Filipino, including a presidential appeal sent by Marcos in August 2023. However, these efforts were unsuccessful as the victim’s family refused to accept blood money compensation. – Percival Bueser/ Rappler.com
Percival Bueser is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship 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. You may also report dubious claims to #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
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