FACT CHECK: Jessica Soho not declared persona non grata in Cagayan de Oro City

Claim: Veteran journalist Jessica Soho was declared “persona non grata” or an unwelcome person by the Cagayan de Oro City Council for featuring the unfinished Mega Health Center in Barangay Carmen in her show, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho.  

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A Facebook page called Brgy. Outpost, which provides updates from various barangays in Cagayan de Oro, posted a photo and a video claiming that the city council plans to declare Soho “persona non grata” for exposing alleged anomalies in the unfinished Mega Health Center in Macanhan, Barangay Carmen.

The photo, posted on November 18, has over 3,200 reactions, 555 comments, and 1,200 shares as of writing. It shows City Councilor and Majority Floor Leader Edgar Salcedo Cabanlas speaking at the podium, with text that reads, “Council eyes persona non grata tag for Jessica Soho amid mega health center controversy.”

Meanwhile, the video, uploaded on November 24, received more than 2,400 reactions, 666 comments, and 1,700 shares. It shows a 25-second clip of Cabanlas allegedly making the persona non grata declaration against the journalist.

The facts: The Cagayan de Oro city council debunked the claim on Tuesday, November 25, stating in a post on its official Facebook page that Cabanlas “did not initiate, propose, or support any move to declare Ms. Jessica Soho persona non grata.” This was supported by an unedited clip from the 20th Regular Session on November 24 showing Cabanlas disproving the claim. 

Cabanlas also debunked the claim in his own post, stating that neither he nor anybody in the city council initiated any move to declare the journalist an unwelcome person.

The official Facebook page of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho also issued a response.

Altered context: The audio of the video clip posted by the “Brgy. Outpost” page was edited.

In the original unedited video, Cabanlas said, “My picture appeared in the Facebook post that states that the City Council of Cagayan de Oro was intending to pass a resolution declaring Jessica Soho as persona non grata for exposing the alleged anomaly in the construction of the Mega Center in Macanhan.”

In the edited clip, his statement was manipulated into: “The City Council of Cagayan de Oro, to pass a resolution declaring Jessica Soho as a persona non grata for exposing the alleged anomaly in the construction of the Mega Center in Macanhan.”

Cabanlas explained that he did not know the purpose of the post but suggested it may have been intended to undermine the administration, target him personally, or confuse the public.

The health center: Construction of the new Mega Health Center in Macanhan, Barangay Carmen officially began on March 19, 2024, following the city government’s issuance of the Notice to Proceed. 

Based on the bidding documents, the project was funded through the 2023 supplemental budget with nearly P65 million allotted to establish a modern healthcare facility intended to serve the growing needs of the community.

The selected contractor, Nurben Engineering, was tasked with completing the project within 290 calendar days or approximately just under 10 months. After nearly two years, only the steel beams of the structure were erected, according to Soho’s report.

The contractor, however, has said that they stopped construction as the city government allegedly failed to pay them on time. – Princess Leah Sagaad/Rappler.com

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