FALSE

In the lead-up to the presidential election in May, a video of one of the candidates — Vice President Leni Robredo — has been viewed thousands of times in social media posts that claim it shows the presidential aspirant forgetting the title of her favorite book. However, the claim is false.

The video is a clip from an interview conducted by the Philippine news outlet Rappler, and Robredo can be heard saying her favorite book is the classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”. The journalist who conducted the interview has also rebutted the claim that Robredo was unable to recall the book’s title.

The video, which circulated ahead of the Philippines’ presidential election on May 9, shows Robredo being interviewed by a journalist from the news outlet Rappler.

Throughout the election campaign, Robredo has been a major target of false and misleading online posts — often spread by supporters of her rival for the top job, Ferdinand Marcos Jr — that aim to portray the incumbent vice president as stupid.

Read the full story on AFP Fact Check.

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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.