Claim: Sandro Marcos advised the public to switch to white onions following the price of red onions skyrocketing.
Rating: FALSE
Facts: On November 25-26, days after the massive increase in the price of red onions, a quote card appeared in which Sandro Marcos purportedly advised people to switch to cheaper white onions.
These posts were scattered online and shared by many, including notable figures such as Liberal Party Secretary-General Teddy Baguilat, GMA Network resident analyst Richard Heydarian, and journalist Raissa Robles, with Baguilat and Heydarian issuing apologies shortly after taking down their posts.
The quote card imitated those of Sonshine Media News Inc. (SMNI), who called out the post and condemned the usage of their branding to spread fake news.
In the quote card, a picture of Sandro Marcos is shown along with the following text in quotation marks:
“Why the big fuss about the prices of red onions? Common sense dictates that you use white onions when red onions are expensive and alternatively, use red onions when white onions are expensive. Simple problems need simple solutions.”
Other than the quote card of Sandro Marcos telling people to switch to white onions, there are no existing records of the Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. having said this.
Sandro Marcos has acknowledged this fake quote in an Instagram Story dated November 26, sharing a screenshot of Teddy Baguilat’s now deleted tweet along with the added text “More fake news, never said this or gave any interview.”
But as one Ilocano opposition influencer added to Sandro’s reaction, “(translated from Filipino) The Marcoses would immediately be alarmed if the other camp would create fake news (even in jest). They would immediately right the lie, because it would be detrimental to them. But if the lie is in their favor, especially if it will let them stay in power, the Marcoses are delighted.”
Why we fact-checked this: Faking quotes shared with the intent of having the victim state otherwise insensitive or offensive remarks are not only disrespectful, but a criminal impersonation. Doing so also allows those exposed to the fake quotes to form unjustifiable opinions and the victim to receive unwarranted backlash.
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