MANILA (PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The Singapore Embassy in Manila is seeking legal advice over a false post online that went viral on social media claiming that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has endorsed Philippine presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte.

In a message on its Facebook account, the embassy said it is taking the false post very seriously, calling it a "clear misrepresentation."

"The Embassy takes a serious view of the misleading post," it said on Monday (April 25).

It also asked that the post be removed.

"We also request the immediate removal of the post, which is a clear misrepresentation," it added.

The embassy had made its first appeal on Facebook on April 22.

"The Embassy has learned of an FB post mischievously alleging that the Prime Minister of Singapore endorses a presidential candidate for the upcoming presidential election in the Philippines. This is untrue. Singapore does not endorse any candidate. The choice is for Filipinos alone to make. We wish the Philippines well in the conduct of its elections," the embassy had said.

The post contained a photo of the Singaporean Prime Minister with the caption "Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is the only presidential candidate that could make Philippines like Singapore."

Mr Duterte - the mayor of Davao - is the front runner in the May 9 election, according to opinion polls. The other candidates are senators Grace Poe and Miriam Santiago, Vice-President Jejomar Binay and former interior minister Mar Roxas.

This is not the first time that supporters of the Davao City Mayor have posted photographs of world leaders supposedly in support of the mayor's bid. The others included Pope Francis and Chinese President Xi Jinping.