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The Office of the Vice President says Duterte's scheduled trip and activities in different countries in Europe are intended to engage with overseas Filipinos
Claim: Vice President Sara Duterte has left the country after the Philippine National Police (PNP) identified the suspects behind the death of a vlogger known by her online name “Mima Alicia.”
Rating: MISSING CONTEXTWhy we fact-checked this: The claim was posted by Facebook page Balita at Kaalaman on July 21. The post has now gained more than 4,100 reactions and 1,300 comments as of writing.
The post reads “Breaking News: Sara Duterte umalis ng bansa, ‘yan ay pagkatapos matukoy ng #PNP ang mga salarin sa pagtegi kay #MimaAlicia. Takot ba siyang ituro ng mga hitman? #JusticeForMimaAlicia”
(Breaking news: Sara Duterte has left the country after the PNP identified the suspect behind the death of Mima Alicia. Is she afraid that the hitman will point fingers at her? #JusticeForMimaAlicia)
The post was referring to the July 17 killing of the vlogger known for her support for the Marcos administration and being critical of Duterte. It seems to suggest that the Vice President’s travel was linked to the vlogger’s death.
The comments section of the post received mixed reactions. Some social media users criticized the Vice President for the timing of her departure as her impeachment trial is ongoing. Others questioned the credibility of the page, suggesting that the page’s administrators are allegedly among the paid trolls by the Marcos administration.
The facts: Duterte did, in fact, leave the country. However, her overseas trip from July 16 to 31 was for meetings with overseas Filipinos and personal engagements, according to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) — a fact that the misleading post failed to disclose.
Her travel will include stops in Qatar, Germany, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, and the Netherlands to meet with Filipino migrant workers and attend a forum.
“These activities are intended to engage with overseas Filipinos and advance the Philippines’ interests abroad,” the OVP said in a statement on July 21.
“The itinerary includes both official foreign travel and personal engagements. No government funds will be used by the Vice President for the entire duration of the trip,” the OVP added.
The Vice President’s trip came amid her ongoing impeachment trial. Duterte is the only public official in the country’s history to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives. She is accused of alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery of Department of Education officials, and grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family.
Mima Alicia’s death: Political vlogger Alicia Lipata, known as “Mima Alicia,” was killed by two motorcycle-riding gunmen outside her home in Caloocan City on July 17.
Based on investigations, the Northern Police District is currently looking at the possibility that her death is linked to her political commentary.
Lipata was known to be supportive of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and a critic of Duterte and her allies.
On July 23, police said the two suspects behind Lipata’s death have been arrested and are set to face murder charges. Authorities are still investigating the motive behind the killing. – Lourence Angelo Marcellana/Rappler.com
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