(FILE PHOTO)


Metro Manila, Philippines — The Commission on Elections said a photo of a ballot in New Zealand received by a voter was tampered to make it appear as though Vice President Leni Robredo’s name was not included in the list of candidates running for president.

“The Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) confirms that the photo showing an official ballot received by an overseas voter in New Zealand has been deliberately edited to make it appear that VP Robredo’s name is missing from the list of presidential candiates,” Comelec said in a statemnent Monday,

The photo of the alleged ballot made it to social media over the weekend, and Comelec Commissioner George Garcia said it was likely “fake news.”

In Monday’s statement, Comelec said the OFOV was working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Embassy in New Zealand to identify those behind the edited photo as well as its spread on social media.

Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Jesus Domingo told CNN Philippines that the source of the image was already traced. He confirmed it is in New Zealand, but did not expound to let the Comelec disclose the details.

Despite the delayed distribution of ballots, Domingo noted that they have not received any questionable ballot from nearly 30,000 registered voters in their jurisdiction. The problem now is the turnaround time for a voter to send back the ballots on time, he said.

Domingo said around 20 ballots were returned to the embassy, and they expect it to increase in the coming days.

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