Philippine senator targeted with fabricated quote excusing juvenile shooting suspects
- Published on July 3, 2026 at 10:31
- 3 min read
- By Ara EUGENIO, AFP Philippines
Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros launched an investigation into the role online platforms played in a deadly school shooting in the country in June 2026, but she did not say the juvenile suspects should be absolved of blame as social media posts claim. The posts cite quotes on a manipulated GMA News graphic, which the senator's office says is a "far cry" from her official position.
"Do you agree with this idiot? It's a miracle she didn't say it was Duterte's fault," says a Tagalog-language Facebook post shared on June 24, 2026.
The post includes a Tagalog-language quote card featuring an image of Senator Risa Hontiveros, an outspoken critic of the influential Duterte family.
"The two students who shot people at the school are not to blame; it is very clear that they are still innocent and do not yet know what they are doing," reads part of the quote attributed to the senator, adding: "If anyone is to be blamed here, it is the children's parents. Do not forget proper guidance."
Hontiveros's purported quote was also shared in similar posts across Facebook after three students were killed and 20 others injured in a rare school shooting in the central Philippine city of Tacloban, sparking nationwide calls for justice (archived link).
Police arrested two suspects, aged 14 and 15, who they believe planned the attack in advance using guns taken from family members (archived here and here).
While the 15-year-old suspect faces multiple criminal charges related to the school shooting, the 14-year-old is exempt from criminal prosecution and will be placed under long-term rehabilitation in accordance with the country's existing juvenile laws (archived link).
Hontiveros has launched a legislative inquiry, telling local broadcaster ANC on June 30 that lawmakers will examine whether online environments had a role in shaping violent behaviour among children (archived link).
She also called for the strengthening of the country’s Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act -- which outlines accountability mechanisms for minors accused of crimes depending on their age -- pushing to reinforce its existing intervention and rehabilitation programmes (archived link).
But there have been no official reports of the senator saying the teenage suspects should not be blamed for the deadly shooting.
Fabricated quote
"The senator never said this," a representative for Hontiveros told AFP on June 29, adding that all of her official statements are publicly available on her Facebook page and the Senate website.
A review by AFP of these pages found no record of the quotes attributed to her on social media, and her office noted they are a "far cry from her actual position".
A combination of reverse image searches on Google and keyword searches on Facebook led to a similar graphic posted by broadcaster GMA News on its official Facebook page on October 4, 2025 (archived link).
The graphic features a quote from Hontiveros denying allegations of unauthorised insertions and unprogrammed allocations in the national budget.
"All of my proposed budget amendments went through the proper process and were approved by the Senate! I do not have any bicam insertion," reads her quote.
Other local media outlets including Inquirer, ABS-CBN and Balita also reported on Hontiveros's statement at the time (archived here, here and here).
The falsely shared quote card has an almost identical layout with the authentic GMA News graphic, except that the media network's logo was removed.
AFP has previously debunked misinformation related to the Tacloban shooting.
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