CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Vice-mayoralty bet Councilor Angie Hizon decried Thursday, May 9, the spread of "malicious" text messages allegedly intended to confuse her supporters and disrupt her campaign.
Hizon showed to local mediamen dozens of text messages sent to her personal cellphone number from unknown numbers starting late night of Wednesday up until Thursday morning.
"It started before midnight. There were lots of calls but normally during those hours, I don't take calls anymore but since my phone was ringing non-stop, I became curious and started reading the messages," Hizon said.
Upon reading some text messages, Hizon said she noticed that the messages "seemed to be replies to certain messages as they include a confirmation to attend something, or is asking the identity of the sender.
"I was weirded out with the text messages so I posted it on Facebook. And then my brother Ricky sent a photo to me of a text message which included the number of the sender, and apparently inviting voters in the City of San Fernando to come to Pampanga's Best factory and get their five kilos of rice, a kilo of tocino and inasal P500 money," said Hizon.
The message also included the name of Hizon, her brother Ricky, who is seeking a seat in the local council, and their respective phone numbers.
Hizon said she never sent such text messages neither directed anybody, including her brother, to do such.
"I started replying to people that it was fake. Some were even calling and I said the same thing. I then put my phone on silent but when I woke up this morning, messages continued to come saying the same thing," she said.
Hizon also said that several people came to the Pampanga's Best factory and showed the text message they received when asked of the purpose of their visit.
Moreover, Hizon wondered why the people were replying to her personal phone number when it was not her nor was her number used to send the malicious chain message.
She said she already asked her SIM carrier if her number was asked but was informed that it was not based from the company's system.
"But they informed me that computer experts can send text blasts and a specific number would register to recipients as the sender," she said.
Hizon suspected that the text messages were sent to confuse Fernandino voters and discredit her and her candidacy.
"They wanted to fool people and show them that I was the one fooling them, which is not true. They invited people to our factory and promised them of something and when they come there, they will receive nothing and of course, people will get mad me. But it wasn't me who texted them nor will I do such thing," the vice-mayoral bet added.
Hizon urged voters to be wary on the information they are receiving, especially in this time of election when people resort to different strategies to win.
"It's better if you can validate first. If it's election-related, confirm first with your coordinators if it's true, otherwise we already know what it is," she said.
Politics evolved
Outgoing Councilor Noel Tulabot, who vocally supports Hizon, meanwhile, branded the strategy as a "black propaganda" to derail the momentum of their campaign.
"This is already expected since the mayoralty and vice-mayoralty race is head-to-head. These are propaganda and we already expected this," he said.
He lamented, however, that this was the first time that election campaign strategies in the City of San Fernando have "come so far to the extent of deceiving fellow Fernandinos for personal gain."
"The political climate in San Fernando has evolved. Use of money, deception and spread of unverified reports have become a norm and it is so disheartening," Tulabut said.
The three-termer councilor urged the candidates to stop deceiving people just to discredit their political opponents and advance their personal interests.
"Since it is already homestretch, our political opponents have resorted to fool the people and blame it on us. It's so sad and I hope they stop doing such things because it is the people who suffer," he said.