Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte called it a ‘foul’ that her political opponents used historic Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz to spread black propaganda against her.
According to Belmonte, it is unfortunate that while the whole country is united because of the honor Diaz brought home to the country, others take advantage of it and use the opportunity to become political.
Belmonte also insisted that Diaz should not be implicated in telling a lie and slandering her.
“Nagkaisa ang buong bansa dahil sa karangalang ibinigay niya sa bawat Pilipino, ngunit ginamit ninyo ito para sa masamang pamumulitika. ‘Foul’ po ang tawag diyan,” the mayor said.
Earlier, a congratulatory poster appeared on social media where the mayor’s picture was even bigger than Diaz’s.
According to Belmonte, the congratulatory message was fake and did not come from their camp.
“While it is true that I join the rest of the country in celebrating the historic Olympic gold medal win of Hidilyn Diaz, it is absolutely untrue that the fake “congratulatory message” using my picture (and now circulating online) came from me, or anyone from the Quezon City government,” Joy Belmonte said.
Mayor Joy Belmonte: Hidilyn Diaz poster a black propaganda
“In a way, it is somewhat understandable that as the elections draw nearer, malicious individuals will sadly engage in more black propaganda and smear campaigns. Pero sana naman po, hindi na ninyo dinamay si Hidilyn Diaz upang gumawa ng kasinungalingan at siraan ako,” she added.
In this regard, Mayor Joy Belmonte also called on the Filipinos to continue to unite behind the victory Hidilyn Diaz brought home for the Filipinos.
“In the meantime, let us all continue to unite behind the spirit and ideals that Hidilyn exemplified, as she symbolically lifted an entire country last July 26: diligence, determination, patriotism, and the will and passion to achieve her dreams,” the mayor said. “Mabuhay ka, Hidilyn! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas, at Mabuhay po tayong lahat.”
Meanwhile, desperate politicians are said to be behind the spread of fake news regarding Mayor Joy Belmonte’s congratulatory poster to Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz.
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