Additional context is needed on circulating social media posts claiming that presidential candidate and Vice President Leni Robredo campaigned inside a Catholic church in Quezon City on March 1, 2022.
A Facebook post published hours after the event claimed that Robredo had a “political campaign inside the Church,” generating over 17,000 shares, 5,200 reactions and 5,800 comments as of writing.
While the event did happen at the Cathedral-Shrine and Parish of the Good Shepherd in Quezon City, organizers and the Vice President’s campaign team clarified that it was not a political activity.
In a post on its Facebook page on March 3, 2022, the Catholic Theological Society of the Philippines said the event was organized to allow the priests, the religious and the lay faithful in the diocese to have a dialogue with Robredo and other candidates in her slate.
“The conversation revolved around the need to be united in our quest for the good of the Filipinos and in our fight against lies, fake news,” read the post written by Fr. Fran D. Villegas, National Spiritual Adviser of the Catholic Faith Defenders of the Philippines.
“After the dialogue, VP Leni and party mates were prayed over by those who were present in the said activity. It was indeed about conversation and prayer, not a political campaign,” the post added.
Villegas pointed out that there was no need for Robredo to campaign during the event since the attendees were already her supporters.
Read the full story on Fact-Check Patrol.
