Claim: Former Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) spokesperson Celine Pialago is a nominee of 111 Frontliners Ang Bida party-list group.

Rating: FALSE

Context:

The verified Facebook page “Asec Celine Pialago” shared on March 30, 2022 (9:48 am) this picture that identifies Pialago as a “nominee” of 111 Frontliners ang Bida party-list group (Asec Celine Pialago, 2022). Concerned citizens have also posted tarpaulins of this party-list group naming Pialago as its nominee (see, for example, Depasucat, 2022).

Based on Kontra Daya’s (2022) data set (as culled from various sources of information), the five party-list nominees of this party-list group are Joher H. Joson, Arturo N. Atayde, Ruby Rose B. Lumbad-Del Castillo, Jaybee C. Ruiz and Poch Merick B. Bonifacio II. Pialago is not listed as a party-list nominee of 111 Frontliners Ang Bida party-list group.

Pialago used to be a party-list nominee of the disqualified party-list group Malasakit. She was reportedly “adopted” by her new party-list groups in February 2022 (Philippine News Agency, 2022) even if it was way past the November 15, 2021 deadline for withdrawals and substitutions (De Leon, 2022).

In a tweet on April 6, COMELEC Spokesperson James Jimenez said that there were no withdrawals or substitutions of party-list nominees beyond November 15 (Jimenez, 2022).

References:

• Asec Celine Pialago. (2022, March 30). ⚫️ 111 sa balota [Image attached] [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=517891359692756&set=a.374382820710278
• De Leon, D. (2022, February 11). Celine Pialago, out of 2022 race, seeks to run past substitution deadline. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/inside-track/celine-pialago-seeks-run-past-substitution-deadline-party-list-nominee/
• Depasucat, M. [MrMorrel]. (2022, April 3). Diba tapos na substitution? So paanong naging nominee ito? [Image attached] [Tweet]. https://twitter.com/MrMorrel/status/1510441672215175175
• Jimenez, J. [@jabjimenez]. (2022, April 5). Per COMELEC records, there have been no withdrawals and substitutions of party-list nominees beyond 15 November 2022 [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/jabjimenez/status/1511257905034842116
• Kontra Daya. (2022, March 23). FOR THE RECORD: Our data set of 177 party-list groups (https://bit.ly/3DLsMNp) is meant for public consumption. This is a continuing work [Link attached] [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/kontra.daya/posts/4438091302957034
• Philippine News Agency. (2022, February 9). Frontliners Ang Bida party-list group ‘adopts’ Pialago. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1167413

Note: Kontra Daya is a member of fact-checking groups Tsek.PH and #FactsFirstPH. Our independent fact-checks are part of our voter’s education program.