BY DAVE SUAN ALBARADO
Bohol First District Rep Edgar M. Chatto slammed a fake news FB post on Wednesday that claimed he was airlifted on an emergency rescue chopper at the old Tagbilaran airport.
The report, posted by a social media page called The Bohol Marites, showed a cropped photograph of Chatto allegedly being carried on a stretcher to a helicopter.
A similar report was posted by another netizen, a Boholano businessman based in Makati City, who did not name Chatto but asked if Chatto was the one referred to in the said post of The Bohol Marites.
Chatto, who was in Manila at the time of the posting on January 9, 2024, denied the incident on his official social media page. He posted photos of himself along with his wife, Balilihan Mayor Pureza Veloso-Chatto, and his office chief of staff, Atty. Jessica Schuck at the Batasang Pambansa grounds.
He also started a live video of him having dinner with his wife, his brother Efren Chatto, his sister-in-law Nikki and his niece Patrice Ysabel.
Many netizens expressed their support for Chatto and their outrage at the fake news peddlers.
Prayers for God’s blessings, safety and good health flooded Chatto’s livestream along with comments that praised his efforts as a public servant.
“God bless you, Cong. Continue to be a good person. God will take care of them. Keep safe, Cong.,” Ave Amba posted.
“Ignore that, Cong. Just continue to work for the good of Bohol,” Melinda Pausanos, president of the Philippine Nurses Association, said.
“Don’t mind them, Cong. They can’t do anything but badmouth. Always take care of your family, Cong. and God bless,” Danila Palay Jeffrey wrote.
“What evil persons will do just to hurt other people! I cannot understand what gets into their heads! Are they still normal?”, Rosalinda Paredes, a governance and development technical expert, commented.
Liza Quirog, the provincial agriculturist, called the fake news poster desperate and not in their right mind.
Several comments also called for karma and shame on the fake news peddlers.
“What they sow is what they will reap!” Graciana Arranguez Sitoy stated.
After reporting about his whereabouts earlier in the day, Chatto thanked his family and friends for their concern.
“We are okay, thank God, as we also receive the blessings for the new year,” Chatto said.
On Friday’s Kita ug Atong Kongresista, streamed live on social media, Chatto warned of those abusing social media as a tool to spread fake news and damaging posts.
Chatto advised the viewers, especially the youth sector, that not all pieces of information generated from social media are truthful, citing the airlift issue as an example.
“Let us fight against this kind of use and abuse of technology,” he said, describing fake news proliferation as a menace to society that destroys the community and people.
Chatto also said that he sought legal action against allegations posted on social media that were directed toward damaging his person and that of his family.
DIRTY TACTICS
Balilihan, Bohol Mayor Pureza Veloso-Chatto also denounced the false report in a separate Facebook post.
She said that she was appalled by the lack of respect and decency of some people who spread false and harmful information about her husband.
She said that she received many calls and messages from their relatives and friends who were worried about the congressman’s condition.
She said that she prayed for the people who did this and hoped that they would stop spreading nonsense.
Chatto Hits Back at ‘Blockers’ for Spreading Lies
Cong. Chatto has denounced his malicious critics, calling them “blockers” who spread fake news and malign him and his family’s reputation.
Chatto made the remarks during an episode of Newsmakers ug Uban Pa, a DYTR radio program hosted by Ardy Araneta-Batoy, the managing editor of The Bohol Tribune.
The lawmaker said he welcomed and still welcomes constructive criticisms that could improve governance and address issues.
“They are positive in a way that they can help or enhance the quality of work or service,” he said in Cebuano.
However, he said he had no patience for the “blockers” who were negative-minded and aimed to tarnish his name and other target personalities.
“We can’t do anything about them, even if we pray the rosary many times,” he said.
He said these people felt happy when others encountered misfortune, a phenomenon known as schadenfreude.
He said he refused to waste time on them, as they would not change their minds.
Chatto also defended his record on infrastructure projects, saying that some of these projects took time to be completed, especially when funding was scarce. He cited the example of the Panglao Island connector bridge, which was still unfinished due to funding issues in the national government.
The Boholano said the problem was discussed in the recent Regional Development Council meeting in Bohol in December 2023. He said the main bridge was supposed to be funded by China, but the funding was stalled due to the dispute between China and the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea.
The national government was looking for alternative sources of funding and was determined to complete the project, Chatto noted.
He assured the Boholanos that the bridge would benefit the province, especially with the opening of the Bohol-Panglao International Airport, which took 30 years to be completed.
He expressed his surprise that his critics did not mention the airport project, which was a major achievement for Bohol.
“They are blockers from the beginning, they don’t talk about how long it took for the Panglao airport to be built,” he said.
He added that he was the main target of the blockers, who had no interest in helping in development or promoting good governance, merely criticizing others to advance their own interests.
He said he had done nothing to harm the blockers or Bohol, and challenged them to file corruption cases against him if they had any evidence. He said he was proud that no corruption case had been filed against him so far.
Chatto also confirmed that he had filed cyberlibel charges against one of his most vocal critics, Emmanuel “Willy” Ramasola, a Boholano businessman based in Makati City.
At least 21 counts of cyberlibel cases against Ramasola were filed before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office in July 2023.
He said he had not yet received information from the prosecutor’s office, but he had heard reports that Ramasola had been indicted for three out of the 21 counts of cyberlibel.
According to the former governor of Bohol, he would exercise his rights on the 18 dismissed counts of cyberlibel against Ramasola.
He said he was elated that the prosecutor would file three counts of cyberlibel against Ramasola, who had allegedly posted malicious and false accusations against him on social media, noting the move was not meant to silence critics, but to teach them about the limits of freedom of expression and the respect for human rights.
According to the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, cyberlibel is a public and malicious imputation of a crime, or of a vice or defect, real or imaginary, or any act, omission, condition, status, or circumstance tending to cause the dishonor, discredit, or contempt of a natural or juridical person, or to blacken the memory of one who is dead, and committed through a computer system or any other similar means.
The penalties for cyberlibel under Philippine law can be severe. Conviction may lead to imprisonment of six to 12 years or a fine, or both. The amount of the fine depends on the circumstances of the case, but it can range from 200,000 to 1 million pesos or even higher.