DSWD probes use of mentally challenged person for negative campaigning in Pasig City

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is investigating if a mentally challenged individual was used for negative campaigning against a local candidate in Pasig City ahead of the 2025 elections. 

According to Mark Salazar’s report on “24 Oras” on Monday, a video uploaded on a Facebook page called “The Journal Pasig” featured a woman testifying against a candidate in the city. 

However, the niece of the 77-year-old woman in the video was furious with the people behind the video for taking advantage of her aunt’s disability. 

“Dismayado since hindi siya totally aware sa video at hindi siya aware na ipo-post yun kaya super disappointed, especially PWD ang tita ko. Kaya na-take advantage ang kahinaan niya para gumawa, turuan ng masama,” she said. 

(I’m very disappointed because she was not totally aware of the video or aware that it will be posted, especially since she's a PWD. They took advantage of my aunt’s weakness to do something wrong.) 

The elderly woman’s family said that she’s been under medication for ten years. They are worried that her condition could worsen if she gets involved in the tension in local politics. 

“Sana iwasan natin yung mga dirty tactics, sana lumaban tayo ng patas. Huwag tayo gumamit ng tao para suportahan tayo in a way na medyo hindi maganda,” the niece added. 

(Let’s not resort to dirty tactics and fight with fairness instead. Stop using people for something bad just to gain support.) 

DSWD’s fact-finding team and some personnel from the National Council on Disability Affairs visited the elderly woman in their house. 

The department said that using the mentally challenged person in the video could be considered exploitation and abuse of a person with disability. 

“We will treat that as exploitation and abuse of the person with disability and if proven true, we will see to it that the Department takes the lead in filing appropriate charges against the people behind this allegation,” said the DSWD in a statement. 

Further, the DSWD said that it could file charges against the uploader for violating the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act, which also protects mentally challenged individuals. 

The department will also provide a psychosocial assessment to the woman in the video. 

The woman’s family will also have to decide if they will file charges against the video uploader. 

GMA Integrated News and the DSWD are both trying to reach out to The Journal Pasig.—Vince Angelo Ferreras/LDF, GMA Integrated News