Daven Tamayo

Marcoleta blasts Lacson for alleged use of technology to 'mislead' public

Article (news)

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- Senator Rodante Marcoleta has accused fellow Senator Panfilo Lacson of alleged use of editing tools to &quot;mislead the public&quot; regarding his recent remarks before the Commission on Appointments regarding the Kalayaan Island Group.Marcoleta insisted that he never advocated for the country to give up the Kalayaan Island Group.&quot;My position has always been clear: we will protect what is rightfully ours and firmly uphold our rights under international law. Any statement alleging that I said, suggested, or implied that we should give up the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) is completely false. I have never wavered on this principle, and I will not allow misinformation to distort what we all professed to die for,&quot; he said.Marcoleta singled out the use of what he called &quot;cheapfakes&quot; which he described are are altered content created through basic editing techniques.&quot;With nothing more than selective splicing, omission, or rearrangement, narratives can be distorted, reputations can be damaged, and truth itself can be compromised. It is within this context that I seek to clarify the record and confront the dangers posed by deliberate misrepresentation,&quot; he said.Marcoleta cited as an example a social media post of a senator he did not name during his speech. Marcoleta however showed the social media account and post of Lacson.&quot;Then, on 05 February 2026, one of our colleagues in this Chamber caused the publication, through his official social media account, of a spliced and manipulated compilation of statements I have made during the aforesaid Commission on Appointments hearing. The said post presented a video compilation, at sabay sabay po nating panoorin ito: At first glance, Mr. President, the video may appear to convey precisely the narrative it was designed to suggest. However, that impression is fundamentally misleading. Recognizing the implications of such a portrayal, I formally wrote to said colleague and sought clarification as to the purpose and intent of publishing a spliced video which seemed to have deliberately tweaked the import of my statements and portrayed in a manner as though I was advocating the surrender of a portion of our territory.&quot;Marcoleta then said he wrote to the colleague concerned, as he showed a letter from Lacson in response to his own concerns.&quot;In his reply to my letter, he characterized my concerns in this manner, and I quote: “Allegations that the video excerpt was deliberately crafted to mislead, or that it was altered to deceive are serious in nature and demand substantiation. None has been provided.” I strongly disagree, Mr. President. The substantiation lies in the record itself: the official transcript and the unedited proceedings plainly demonstrate how my statements were taken out of context and presented in a manner that materially altered their meaning. Ilalantad ko ito maya-maya ng kaunti, Mr. President. He further stated, and I quote: “For your information, I do not exercise editorial control nor oversee the day-to-day uploading of content on the said page, which is maintained by my office as part of our regular public information efforts with materials drawn from official and publicly verifiable proceedings.&quot;Marcoleta however did not accept Lacson&#x27;s application.&quot;Again, I strongly disagree, Mr. President. Even if he does not exercise direct editorial control, responsibility still lies with his office for ensuring that the materials they publish accurately reflect the context and intent of the proceedings. Hindi po pwedeng sabihing “hindi ako ang direktang gumawa.” This is a clear attempt to “shift one’s responsibility” so stated by our colleague in his letter. Sa batas at sa prinsipyo ng pamamahala, may tinatawag na “command responsibility.”Marcoleta also dismissed Lacson&#x27;s response that the video merely reflects what was posted on the commission’s official broadcast.&quot;These statements were maliciously lifted, compiled, and used without consideration of its context. The complete transcript of the hearing would clearly show that there was no intent to surrender our rightful territory. As I previously said, it was only to illustrate the herculean task of delimiting the West Philippine Sea in relation to the enclaved territorial seas of each of the occupied and claimed features in the Kalayaan Island Group, most of which lie in the high seas,&quot; he said.Marcoleta said he presented the original video excerpts from which the circulated clips were taken, alongside the edited compilation that was posted on our colleague’s official page and the pages of the transcript where it was lifted from.&quot;By laying them side by side, we and the public will clearly see how particular statements were extracted from different portions of the hearing and rearranged in sequence to construct a narrative that did not exist in the actual exchange. The comparison will demonstrate, in concrete terms, how selective cutting and reordering of remarks can transform a hypothetical illustration into what falsely appears to be a categorical position. In doing so, I seek clarity so that the record may speak for itself, complete and unaltered.&quot;Marcoleta decried how the supposedly spliced video was amplified by media. He also took issue with Lacson&#x27;s other social media posts.&quot;At noong 16 February 2026, muling naglathala ang nasabing colleague sa kanyang official website at sa kanyang Twitter account tungkol sa aking plano na pagsasampa ng ethics complaint na tila bang may pangungutya pa nang sabihin niyang hindi raw siya marunong mag-splice ng video at kung maaari ay turuan pa siya. Ang ganitong pahayag, na wari’y pagbibiro, ay isa lamang paraan ng pag-iwas, ngunit halata naman na ang paratang ay hindi naitanggi.&quot;&quot;He did not stop at posting the spliced and misleading video. He continued to publish and disseminate statements on the same issue, repeatedly insinuating that I intended to surrender a portion of the country’s territory – portraying me as a villain and himself, the hero.&quot;Marcoleta claimed that he is being targeted.&quot;What objective is being served by repeatedly advancing this narrative? Bakit tila ako ang palagi niyang tinatarget? Ano ang tunay na layunin ng patuloy at piling pagtutok laban sa aking mga pahayag at paninindigan? Ano ba ang dahilan at kinakailangan niyang baluktutin ang aking mga pahayag at ipilit ang isang salaysay na malinaw na taliwas sa aking tunay na paninindigan?&quot;Marcoleta believes the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 was violated.&quot;Such acts may constitute violations of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, particularly under provisions of penalizing online libel and the spreading of false information through video forgery and tampering.&quot;

Marcoleta insisted that he never advocated for the country to give up the Kalayaan Island Group.

Marcoleta insisted that he never advocated for the country to give up the Kalayaan Island Group.