FALSE

An online article falsely claimed that the Office of the Ombudsman is set to file charges against re-elected Senator Risa Hontiveros for spreading lies during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation of the Pharmally funds scam.

On June 22, a website published a story that bore an untrue headline: “NAKARMA na! HONTIVEROS TULOYAN (sic) ng KINASOHAN (sic) ng OMBUDSMAN TRYDOR (sic) at HUDAS sa SENADO NAGULANTANG IYAK! (Bad karma! Hontiveros charged by the Ombudsman; traitors in Senate shocked, wept!)”

A brief text in the erroneous article also said lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, legal counsel of two Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. executives during the Senate investigation, filed the complaint before the Ombudsman against Hontiveros.

This claim is not true. There are no official records or legitimate news reports stating that charges have been lodged against the senator by the Ombudsman.

Read the full story on VERA Files Fact Check.

VERA Files is a nonstock, nonprofit independent media organization registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Company Registration No. CN200808072). Founded in March 2008, it is published by veteran Filipino journalists taking a deeper look into current Philippine issues. Vera is Latin for “true.”

VERA Files was founded by journalists Ellen Tordesillas, Luz Rimban, Booma Cruz, Jennifer Santiago, Yvonne T. Chua and Chit Estella (who passed away in a road crash on May 13, 2011).

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