FALSE

Facebook posts shared hundreds of times ahead of the presidential elections claim the government’s law office said top job hopeful Vice President Leni Robredo “handled zero cases” as a lawyer before she entered politics.

This is false: the Public Attorney’s Office told AFP it did not issue such a statement. A Philippine trial court told AFP Robredo was legal counsel for a homicide case in 2008, and multiple reports state she took on cases for the disadvantaged.

The post features an image of Robredo with overlaid text that states: “So that’s why she has a clean record… literally no cases. Her supporters keep mentioning she’s an attorney but she never handled any case, the information is from the Public Attorneys Office.

“List of cases handled by Leni Robredo as a lawyer: Zero (no record).”

Robredo has been at the receiving end of false and misleading online posts, often fanned by supporters of her rival for the top job, frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Read the full story on AFP Fact Check.


AFP launched its digital verification service in France in 2017 and has grown to become the leading global fact-checking organisation, with dedicated journalists in countries from the United States to the Philippines. Our journalists monitor online content in local languages. They take into account local cultures, languages and politics and work with AFP’s bureaus worldwide to investigate and disprove false information, focusing on items that can be harmful, impactful and manipulative.