A photo of reelectionist Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto holding a sign endorsing his rival, Sarah Discaya, has been altered.
The manipulated photo, featured in a video uploaded by PasigLaban on March 29, shows Sotto holding a sign that reads:
SI SARAH ANG MAYOR KO (Sarah is my mayor)
PasigLaban reposted the altered image as a standalone post that same day.
The video also included a clip of Sotto advising voters to consider newer candidates if they were unsure during the 2023 barangay elections, but it was presented without context.
The original, unedited photo was taken from Sotto’s official Facebook page, where it was posted last Oct. 5. It shows the mayor holding his certificate of candidacy for this year’s midterm elections.
The text in the manipulated image was also altered: “Certificates” was changed to “Gartificates,” and “Candidacy” to “Tan****ov.”
A forensic analysis using the online tool Forensically indicates that the image was likely manipulated. Its error level analysis (ELA) and noise analysis features detected inconsistencies in compression levels, particularly on the sign Sotto was holding.
Created on April 4, 2022, PasigLaban has been regularly posting content critical of Sotto since March 10.
Read the full story on FactRakers.org.