On a Friday evening, fake news involving entertainment personality Cristy Fermin surfaced, propagated by an X account, @altcristifermin.
The X account, representing a defunct Twitter-like platform, Twitter, posted a fabricated story on October 27 at 9:12 p.m. This fake news falsely asserted a meeting between MTRCB (Movie and Television Review and Classification Board), McDonald’s Philippines, and comedian and host Vice Ganda. The story suggested that Vice Ganda imitated a particular eating style while enjoying a chicken McDo, akin to how he consumes icing on ‘It’s Showtime.’
The post quickly gained traction, amassing millions of views, retweets, likes, saves, and comments. Remarkably, it achieved widespread circulation despite the fact that Cristy Fermin does not operate any social media accounts. Her sole online presence occurs through ‘Showbiz Now Na’ and ‘Cristy Ferminute,’ co-hosted by Romel Chika and Wendell Alvarez.
Cristy became aware of the fake news when she watched a YouTube channel which discussed Vice Ganda’s issues and the subsequent clarification provided by MTRCB Chairperson Lala Sotto. Chairperson Lala Sotto debunked the claim that MTRCB intended to summon Vice Ganda and McDonald’s Philippines, reiterating the fabricated nature of the story.
In the ‘Cristy Ferminute’ episode the following day, Cristy read MTRCB’s press release to invalidate the false information. She expressed her sadness at becoming unwittingly involved in the situation. She also clarified that there were numerous social media accounts claiming to represent her, using 37 different variations of her name. However, these accounts are operated by impersonators and not her.
Cristy emphasized her dismay at those creating fake news, urging vloggers to promote their content and increase their subscribers without resorting to stories involving individuals unrelated to their narratives. She reminded them that fabricating stories involving people not connected to their content is neither ethical nor responsible.
Cristy unequivocally stated that she holds no personal grudge against Vice Ganda. She also emphasized that she does not publicly scrutinize every action taken by Vice Ganda. She disagreed with Vice Ganda and Ion Perez’s actions on ‘It’s Showtime,’ which were endorsed by the MTRCB and the show’s audience, resulting in a twelve-day suspension of the program.
She further clarified that there would be no showdown between her and Chairperson Lala Sotto, as such a conflict does not exist. The leadership of MTRCB operates with integrity and intelligence. Nanay Cristy had no part in creating the fake news story about MTRCB summoning Vice Ganda and McDonald’s Philippines for reprimand.
Cristy expressed her gratitude to MTRCB for addressing the situation promptly, preventing further dissemination of the fake news. She also urged the creators of fake news to reflect on their actions and consider the impact on the people they involve in their fabricated stories.
Finally, she highlighted that her programs, ‘Cristy Ferminute’ and ‘Showbiz Now Na,’ have not been used for spreading fake news during their 13 years on the air and online platforms. The X account @altcristifermin was verified, and it was confirmed that it no longer exists, as indicated by the statement “This account doesn’t exist.”
