The Facts: Several meme cards have been circulating on social media insisting that Bongbong Marcos and Inday Sara Duterte are destined to hold the top political posts of the country, as prophesied by the Great Seal of the Philippines.
A closer investigation of our seal shows that the spin is just a spin.
Why we fact-checked this: State symbols must be treated with utmost reverence. The Great Seal of the Philippines represents the country as well as its people. It is a constant reminder to uphold our Filipino values as stated on our National Motto: Maka-Diyos, Maka-tao, Makakalikasan at Makabansa. Under the law, nobody has the right to use it other than its intended purpose.
The spirit animals of BBM and Sara, according to their campaign posters, are the tiger (The Tiger of the North) and the monkey-eating eagle (The Eagle of the South).
What is represented in the country seal are the symbols of the colonizers. The Spanish Lion is in the red field, representing our more than 300 years under Spanish rule. The eagle grasping an olive branch and war arrows on the blue background is not the Haribon but the bald eagle, the national bird of the USA.
Read the full story on The Baguio Chronicle.