Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
THE quote "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on his shoes" has no substantive support for assigning the saying to Mark Twain. "How delightfully ironic if true. The enemy of truth is not the outright lie, because an outright lie is easy to see and expose. One could get fooled by the half-truths where there is a blending of fact and fiction. Circulating in social media is a questionable image that was distributed at the nationwide "Caravan of Hope" for Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo and Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan. A sticker, a snack and a 100-peso bill are shown in this image. Fact is volunteers gave stickers out. I know because I was in Metro Manila with contact from other caravans. Adding money beside the sticker is fiction. You just wonder if the person resharing the photo even bothered to ask for the source.
Then there is the news on the educational attainment of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. A statement from lawyer Victor Rodriguez, the chief of staff of Marcos maintained that the presidential aspirant never misrepresented his Oxford education. "We stand by the Degree confirmation which was issued by the University of Oxford. It is up to anyone to question or challenge this with the said university if they so please." And that is what Filipino artist Ruston Banal and Rappler did. They checked with Oxford University. "According to our records, he did not complete his degree, but was awarded a Special Diploma in Social Studies in 1978," Cathy King, private secretary to the registrar at Oxford University, replied in an email. From the email, it is clear what separates fact from fiction.
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