FALSE

A Facebook group supporting Manila mayoral candidate Sam Verzosa falsely reported he was already leading the race on election day even before polling closed.

The post, made at 3:49 p.m. on election day by the Facebook group “SAM SV VERZOSA SV Manila Mayor 2025,” falsely claimed that early counting was taking place due to high voter turnout:

MAAGANG NAGBIBILANGAN DITO DAHIL MARAMI NA AGAD BOTANTE ANG BUMOTO AT LAMANG NA LAMANG ANG ATING MAYOR SV!SALAMAT PO PANGINOON (The vote counting here has started early because many voters have already cast their votes, and our mayor SV is in a significant lead! Thank you Lord)!

It also erroneously claimed Verzosa was ahead by 1,871 votes over former Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno, with incumbent Mayor Honey Lacuna trailing last. 

This is not possible under Philippine election rules. Vote counting begins only after voting has officially ended and must be conducted publicly at the polling place by the board of election inspectors, according to Section 206, Article XVIII of the Omnibus Election Code.

Read the full story on FactRakers.org.

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FactRakers is a Philippines-based fact-checking initiative of journalism majors at the University of the Philippines-Diliman working under the supervision of Associate Professor Yvonne T. Chua of the University of the Philippines’ Journalism Department. Associate Professor Ma. Diosa Labiste, also of the Journalism Department, serves as editorial consultant.

FactRakers' fact-checks also include those produced by Tinig ng Plaridel — the official student publication of the UP College of Media and Communication — and the UP Journalism Club.

The name of the initiative, coined from the words “fact” and “raker,” is inspired by the term “muckrakers,” first used in the early 1900s by American president Theodore Roosevelt to express his annoyance at progressive, reform-minded journalists at the time.

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