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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
Broadcast journalist Karen Davila was deliberately misquoted to make it appear that she was questioning the Senate victory of Senator-elect Rodante Marcoleta
Claim: Broadcast journalist Karen Davila is questioning the victory of Senator-elect Rodante Marcoleta.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: On May 25, Facebook user Ley A. Flores shared a supposed quote card of Karen Davila allegedly questioning Marcoleta’s Senate victory, asking how he could have won when Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) has only 2.8 million members.
“Nakakapagtaka naman ata yun? 2.8 million lang ang INC. Paano siya nanalo? Paano nangyari ‘yon?” Davila’s alleged quote card read. (Isn’t that a bit suspicious? INC only has 2.8 million members. How did he win? How did that happen?)
As of Sunday, June 1, the post has garnered over 1,700 reactions and has been shared over 200 times. It has also gotten over 700 comments.
The facts: Davila was deliberately misquoted in the social media graphic posted by Flores to make her appear doubtful of Marcoleta’s win.
On May 24, Davila interviewed reelected Senator Bato dela Rosa, Marcoleta’s ally in the Duter10 slate, where she asked his thoughts about how Marcoleta was able to win the Senate race despite not performing very well in the pre-election survey.
“Paano nanalo si Rodante Marcoleta? That’s interesting. I mean, he was the dark horse of this race,” Davila said. (How did Rodante Marcoleta win?)
“No survey put Marcoleta in the top 12. Lagi siya nasa outer, right? Eh nalampasan pa niya si Imee Marcos. How did he do it?” she asked Dela Rosa.
(He’s always on the outer rankings, right? And yet he even surpassed Imee Marcos. How did he do it?)
Dela Rosa responded by saying that Iglesia Ni Cristo members, who supposedly supported Marcoleta, typically do not participate in surveys — which is why their votes aren’t reflected in the results.
“Pero 2.8 ang Iglesia. That’s not, I mean, it’s a big bump. But mataas ang boto ni Marcoleta eh,” Davila said. (But Iglesia has 2.8 million [members]. That’s not — I mean, it’s a big bump. But Marcoleta got a lot of votes.)
At no point in the interview did Davila say she was puzzled by Marcoleta’s winning with just votes from INC members. You can watch the interview clip here.
Election results: Marcoleta placed sixth in the 2025 senatorial race with 15,250,723 votes. His win, alongside the stunning victories of Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan, surprised many because they had trailed in the pre-election surveys.
In the final Pulse Asia survey released a week before the elections, Marcoleta ranked between 14th and 19th. Aquino ranked between 11th and 18th, while Pangilinan placed between 17th and 19th. – Bonz Magsambol/Rappler.com
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