By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency
Malacañang on Friday slammed the proliferation of “fake news” and “disinformation” about the quality of rice that will be sold for P20 per kilo.
This, after a video went viral on social media, showing the allegedly poor quality of rice available to the public under the government’s P20-per-kilo rice initiative.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said fake news peddlers are making it appear that the cheaper rice looks like animal feed.
“Meron po kaming pasabi na mag-ingat po na malamang ay may manabotahe sa proyekto pong ito ng Pangulo patungkol po sa P20 per kilo o kada kilo ng bigas,” Castro said in a Palace press briefing.
“Ang sinabi po natin ay baka meron na namang fake news peddlers na gumamit at pakita na ang mga bigas na ibebenta ay panghayop. Dahil ’yon po ang sinabi ng Bise Presidente,” she added.
Castro warned the public that there will be more fake news peddlers, after Vice President Sara Duterte criticized the rollout of the P20-per-kilo rice in the Visayas.
She reiterated that the rice that will be sold at a cheaper price is the variety currently being sold in the market at P33 per kilo.
“Mag-ingat po tayo sa fake news peddlers na sinisira[an] ang proyekto, sinisira[an] ang Pangulo, sinisira[an] ang hope, ang pag-asa ng bawat Pilipino,” Castro said.
“Hindi pa po nasisimulan ang paglabas ng bigas na ibebenta sa market at sa Kadiwa patungkol po dito sa proyekto. Hindi pa nga nakikita, wala pang nakikitang bigas na ibebenta, pinipintasan na ‘panghayop’,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Palace official also reacted to Duterte’s claim that Marcos was pushing for constitutional amendments, dismissing it as “fake news.”
Castro said there was no discussion on Marcos’ supposed plan to amend the Constitution.
