‘Wala akong kaibigan na pekeng Pilipino. Mag-ingat po sa mga edited photos online at magkasama kami ‘di umano at magkaibigan daw kami. This is fake,” said Senator Hontiveros

Claim: The suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and Senator Risa Hontiveros are good friends, as shown in a widely shared selfie of the two.

Rating: FALSE

Why we checked this: The TikTok post with this claim has received 12,800 views, 49 reactions, and 34 comments as of this writing.

The post suggests Hontiveros and Guo are friends, with overlapping text that reads: “Alice Guo Trinaydor is BFF and Risa HontiViruz.(Alice Guo betrayed her best friend, Risa Hontiveros.)

“#Risa HontiViruz is a POGO drama by Alice Guo (?)” the message also states: (#Did Risa Hontiveros benefit from the POGO drama with Alice Guo?)

“HontiVirus” is a play on Hontiveros’ name and the word “virus,” a term used pejoratively by her critics such as Harry Roque, former presidential spokesman for Rodrigo Duterte.

Similar messages have been shared on other social media platforms.

The facts: The photos of Guo and Hontiveros circulating are fake.

“Wala akong kaibigan na pekeng Pilipino. Mag-ingat po sa mga edited photos online at magkasama kami ‘di umano at magkaibigan daw kami. This is fake,” Hontiveros wrote this on Friday, August 23, in a post on Facebook.

(I don’t have fake Filipino friends. Be careful with doctored photos online that falsely claim we are together and friends. This is fake.)

She also urged social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok to moderate such “AI-generated content”.

“We are going to find out who is spreading this,” Hontiveros said.

ALSO ON RAPPLER

POGO research: Hontiveros is leading the investigation into the illegal activities of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

The investigation revealed that Guo had links to illegal POGOs in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga.

During the investigation, questions were also raised about Guo’s real identity. There was evidence that she was Chinese and that she stole someone’s identity.

Currently, Guo is nowhere to be seen. Hontiveros revealed on Monday afternoon, August 19, that Guo had already left the country – heading to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Alice’s sister Sheila and Katherine Cassandra Ong are now in Philippine custody after being detained by Indonesian immigration authorities. Ong, also known as Cassy Ong or Cassy Li, has ties to the Lucky South 99 POGO in Porac, Pampanga.

Alice faces multiple criminal charges, including tax evasion, human trafficking and corruption. – James Patrick Cruz/Rappler.com

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