MANDAUE City Lone District Rep. Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon has warned the public about a fake statement circulating online, falsely attributed to her regarding the P20-million Maguikay Skywalk project.
In a Facebook post of Dizon on March 24, 2025, she called out an alleged falsified statement shared by a Facebook account under the name of Redmon Colina.
The post contained an edited graphic featuring her photo and the House of Representatives seal, with a quote suggesting that those unhappy with the skywalk should not use it.
“Beware: Fake and Falsified ‘statement’ posted by Facebook account Redmon Colina,” Dizon wrote.
She urged the public to fact-check information and report misleading content.
The alleged statement read: “Kung wala mo nalipay sa 20-million nga Skywalk, ayaw mo ug agi diha. Para ra na sa mga Mandauehanon nga kahibaw mo appreciate sa akong project.”
(If you don’t like the 20-million skywalk, don’t pass by it. It’s for the people of Mandaue who know how to appreciate my project.)
The Facebook post’s caption alongside the post criticized the supposed remark: “Mao diay ni sakto nga tubag? Nangutana raman nganong ka mahal ana nga skywalk… ingon anaon diay pag tubag? Mangaway diay? Natural mana naay mga pangutana… ka arrogante sad manulti oi.”
(So that’s the right response? I was just asking why the skywalk is so expensive. Is this how you’re going to answer? Are you going to start an argument? It’s normal for people to ask questions. That’s such an arrogant way to speak.)
Dizon immediately denied making such a statement, dismissing the post as misinformation meant to mislead the public.
“That is not true. I did not say that. And I call on everyone, especially Mandauehanons, to be extra careful these days because of the spread of fake news intended to discredit others,” she said in Cebuano.
In response to Dizon’s statement, Colina explained that he initially believed the post was real because of how official it appeared.
“I just encountered this post on Facebook, and I thought it was a genuine post from her because it had her name and looked official. Being a Mandauehanon, I was personally affected by the way the post dismissed the legitimate concern of the taxpayers because, as taxpayers, we all have the right to question any government project, especially ones that are clearly overpriced as compared to others,” Colina said.
“If this statement is indeed fake or not true, then maayo (good), but if it is, then I just hope that this kind of dismissive mindset is not something that will disrupt the transparency and accountability that we all hope for in our government officials—that is, if she will still win in this election,” Colina added.
The controversy emerged amid ongoing discussions over the cost of the Maguikay Skywalk, which recently opened after nearly two years of construction. / CAV