Claim: Vice President Sara Duterte said the following statement about PBA player John Amores in a quote card circulating online:
“John is a very good kid and I know him personally. He could not have shoot [sic] anybody without any valid reason. Maybe it’s self defense o kaya naprovoke lang siya. Normal lang naman minsan kung galit na galit tayo, nawawala tayo sa sarili. (Maybe it’s self defense or he was provoked. It is normal sometimes if we are so angry, we can’t control ourselves.) I know he will survive this malicious issue. He is just a kid, but I think he is man enough to overcome this.”
The quote card also contained the logo of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) and its radio station DZAR 1026.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The quote card can be seen in multiple Facebook posts from September 26 onwards.
The graphic is dated September 25, 2024 and is captioned “John Amores receives ‘words of encouragement’ from VP Sara Duterte.”
The posts circulated online following news of Amores being identified as a suspect in a shooting incident in Laguna.
The facts: The statement in the quote card attributed to Duterte is fabricated.
The template and the caption used for the false quote card was an altered version of a genuine news graphic card posted on the official Facebook page of Inquirer Sports on December 7, 2022:
The original news graphic card did not contain any quote from anyone. It only explained that Amores posted a picture of a letter he received from Duterte’s office following an incident between his college team Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde during a game last November 8, 2022.
During the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 98 tournament, Amores punched four players of the opposing team. That led to his indefinite suspension from the NCAA and expulsion from the Heavy Bombers basketball team.
Amores did not publicly release the contents of Duterte’s letter, but shared an excerpt: “Remember the lesson, not the mistake. You have a friend from the Office of the Vice President.”
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New controversy: Amores was recently back in the spotlight after a case of attempted homicide was filed against him and his brother for their involvement in a September 25 shooting incident in Laguna. The incident, which was caught on CCTV, showed Amores getting off a motorcycle driven by his brother and firing at a certain Lee Cacalda following a heated exchange in a basketball game.
Amores and his brother surrendered to the police on September 26. Both are currently out on bail. – 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.
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