Charles Teves
Former broadcaster Jay Sonza is back at it again with more fake news. This time it’s about the Philippines topping the list of the most peaceful countries in the world.
On November 7 in a Facebook post, Sonza said the narrative by President Rodrigo Duterte’s critics was once again shattered because the Philippines has been considered the most peaceful nation.
This simply isn’t true as the Institute for Economics and Peace’s Global Peace Index (GPI) for 2020 never claimed it was.
Every year, the GPI looks at 163 independent states, and the Philippines is at the 129th spot, placing it in the category of “low” state of peace.
wasak na naman ang narrative ng mga anti-DU30.
Philippines on Top. List of Most Peaceful Country in the World.
Posted by Jay Sonza on Friday, November 6, 2020
With the use of 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators, the GPI is able to measure the absence of violence or the fear of violence as it relates to safety and security, ongoing conflict, and militarization.
The Duterte administration saw the country being ranked 138th in 2017, 137th in 2018, and 134th in 2019.
At the time of his post, Sonza could have possibly been referring to the Global Law and Order report for 2020 which gave the Philippines an index score of 84 out of a possible 100.
This study however did not focus on peacefulness but instead on people’s “personal security and their personal experiences with crime and law enforcement.”
Sonza also shared false information about ABS-CBN recently.
He posted a photo of an ABS-CBN van which allegedly upturned while watching over the dolomite beach in Manila Bay.
“Isa lamang ito sa mga iniwang bakas ng Bagyong Ulysses,” he said. “One must learn from experience.”
The altered photo had the headline of “ABS-CBN van, tumaob habang binabantayan ang dolomite sa kasagsagan ng Bagyong Ulysses”.
According to fact-checkers, the photo was from 2010 when the van upturned at Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.
https://twitter.com/SyLicoNgaAko/status/1327157514249543680?s=20
Last May, just right after ABS-CBN went off the air, Sonza spread fake news suggesting ABS-CBN released disinformation about how the “IATF has allowed Seniors to go anywhere they like during the GCQ as long as they are accompanied by their parents.”
He used this as a reason he thinks the network doesn’t deserve a franchise renewal.
The former ABS-CBN employee also found himself in hot water recently after he claimed actor Gerald Anderson impregnated actress Julia Barretto.
“Napatunayan nina Visoy (Visayan tisoy) Gerald Anderson at anak nina Dennis Padilla at Marjorie na si Julia Barreto na kapuwa hindi sila baog. After months of love lockdown and ESQ (exact sex quadrant) – may nabuo sa sinapupunan ni Julia,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
Barretto then filed a cyber libel case against Sonza.
“I am pursuing this case because the statements made by Mr. Sonza are untrue and irresponsible. The widespread reposting of the news based on his post caused distress to me and my family. I don’t want to take this matter lightly,” she said.
