Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla announced plans to file formal complaints with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and Facebook to crack down on false claims regarding his health and the Office of the Ombudsman.
During a press conference on Friday, November 6, Remulla stated that the online disinformation campaign is a deliberate propaganda effort designed to shake public confidence in his office and the government.
“There has been a lot of fake news lately. People are trying to create doubt about the office or maybe even in the state of my health,” Remulla said.
“And, I think, this has to stop. And we are filing a complaint with the DICT and Facebook itself to stop the proliferation of fake news.”
The Ombudsman shared that he was alerted to the rumors after receiving concerned text messages from media colleagues offering prayers for his health. While expressing gratitude for their concern, he firmly clarified his medical status:
“Eh kung sila naniniwala… Ang sagot: Thank you, but it’s been almost three years since I have been cancer free. Kaya lang, gusto pa rin nilang ipakalat at bigyan ng kahinaan ang aming opisina.”
Remulla emphasized that the malicious reports are strategically intended to deceive the public and destabilize trust in state institutions. In 2023, he underwent a quintuple bypass surgery followed by a diagnosis of leukemia, but has since recovered and maintained that he has been cancer-free for nearly three years.
With social media increasingly weaponized for propaganda, Remulla said the upcoming complaints aim to compel Facebook to permanently remove accounts that spread misinformation.
“Obviously, it’s meant to influence the people so that they have a doubt on our government and this office,” he noted.
“That’s just an example how social media is being used kaya we’re filing complaints with Facebook to take down many of these accounts that do not portray the truth and are there for propaganda purposes and deceive the people.”