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A video circulating online claims without offering evidence that senatorial candidates endorsed by Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) are receiving financial support from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Originally posted on TikTok by @arjayangelesrn on May 11 and reshared in the Facebook group Leni Angat Buhay Pilipinas on May 12, the video alleges that billions of pesos from China are being funneled into the campaigns of PDP-Laban candidates, calling them “Chinese Communist Party candidates.”  It also said they benefit from troll farms allegedly funded by China.

Umuulan ng pera! Oo, umuulan ng pera galing sa China! Pero ang tumatakbo lang ay ang mga kandidato ni Duterte. Sila ang sumasahod ng bilyon-bilyong piso na pinakawalan ng China para sila ay magkaroon ng laban sa eleksyon. Sila rin ang nakikinabang sa mga troll farms na pinopondohan ng China (It’s raining money! Yes, it’s raining money from China! But only Duterte’s candidates are on the move. They’re the ones receiving billions of pesos released by China to give them an edge in the elections. They’re also the ones benefiting from troll farms funded by China).

The allegations coincide with growing concerns over foreign interference in Philippine elections. 

The video lifted a clip in a Net25 report on April 25, “Operasyon ng troll farm na umano’y pinopondohan ng China ibinunyag ni Sen. Tolentino,”  in which Sen. Francis Tolentino voiced concerns over purported Chinese-backed  involvement in troll operations, but did not name PDP-Laban candidates or present evidence of CCP involvement.

There is no public record or credible evidence confirming any financial or organizational relationship between PDP-Laban candidates and the CCP.

Read the full story on FactRakers.org.

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.

factrakers.org