MANILA — Malacañang on Sunday said that a document claiming to deduct two days worth of salary from government workers to pool funds for relief operations in quake-hit Turkey is fake.
The document, which bears the letter head of the Office of the President and the signature of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, circulated on social media over the weekend, some weeks after the Philippines sent an 85-member team to help rescue efforts in Turkey.
“This is not true,” Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil told reporters in a text message.
Garafil said the Palace is pushing to launch an investigation on the fake memo.
“The Office of the ES is coordinating with authorities,” she said.
The fake document claims that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. authorized “two days salary deduction for the month [of] March 2023 from all government employees for President Relief Fund for Turkey and Syria.”
“To extend maximum support to Turkish Government and people to help them cope with the distractions caused by the earthquake, a fund has been established/opened as ‘President’s Relief Fund for Turkey Earthquake Victims,” the fake memo read.
In early February, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake jolted parts of Turkey and Syria, leaving thousands dead, while billions-worth of infrastructure either collapsed or were damaged.
At least 2 Filipinos died from the quake, while another was rescued from the rubble.
RELATED VIDEO: