Roque on Mocha Uson's online poll: EDSA revolution not a product of fake news

Malacañang on Monday said the 1986 People Power Revolution that ended the dictatorial rule of late President Ferdinand Marcos was not a product of "fake news" but of a bloodless action.

"Well, according to the law, it is not fake news. According to the law, we honor the EDSA Revolution having declared it as a public holiday. We even have appropriate funds to commemorate the event," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing.

"So we still recognize and we will always recognize EDSA not only as an important historical event, but it was the first bloodless people power revolution in the whole entire planet earth; and it remains significant," he added.

Roque's remarks came after Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson ran a poll on Sunday in time for the 32nd anniversary of People Power asking netizens if the historical event was a product of fake news.

The poll has attracted nearly 62,000 votes with 84 percent saying the revolution was a product of fake news.

Duterte skipped the historical uprising's anniversary rites for the second straight year since he came to power in June 2016. The President spent the weekend in his hometown Davao City.

Roque said there was no attempt by the government to diminish the significance of the revolution due to the President's absence in the commemoration.

"There’s none. It remains in our statute books. As in fact, the ceremonies are being, well, spearheaded by the National Historical Commission no less," the Palace official said.

"The declaration of February 25 as a national holiday stays. It is a public holiday, and public funds are being spent to commemorate it. So I don’t think there should be any reason to deviate from the fact that by law and by practice, we celebrate EDSA because it was a historical event in our country."

Duterte, in his message for the People Power anniversary, called on Filipinos to "enrich our democracy" by empowering the citizens and defending their rights.

He also said the People Power Revolution has since become an enduring symbol of Filipinos' determination to fight for what is right "during our country's most crucial and trying times — to defend and uphold our cherished democratic values." —ALG, GMA News