BALI, Indonesia (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – When it rains, it pours.  That’s what’s happening to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Instead of publishing news headlines, it is IN the headlines. And all because it has been publishing fake news.

First, the Inquirer is in hot water after it published photos on its website supposedly showing the aftermath of the siege on Marawi City earlier this week.  Photos showed burning vehicles and what seemed like major chaos in the streets of Marawi.  Except that the photos it used were from the 2013 bombing in Cotabato City.

Now, the national daily is being sued by the lawyers of Mary Jane Veloso.

Veloso is the Filipina who was arrested and sentenced to death for smuggling heroin into Indonesia 🇮🇩 . She was scheduled to be executed, along with others, on April 29, 2015 but was granted a last-minute stay of execution so she could act as a witness during the trial of her alleged human trafficker in the Philippines 🇵🇭 . 

The next morning, however, the Inquirer printed a bold headline announcing the execution of Veloso.  We now know, of course, that Veloso, to this day, is very much alive.

The lawsuit filed this morning alleges that the Inquirer tried to murder Veloso.  It is being charged with attempted murder and sued for an undisclosed amount. (Sources say that the amount is much bigger than what the Inquirer owes in back rent for the Mile-Long prime property it is currently occupying in Makati, Metro Manila.)

Moral of the story: Fake news does not pay!