Several Facebook users posted a video claiming to show fugitive senator Bato Dela Rosa attending a rally held by members of Iglesia ni Cristo in early July. This is false.
The 32-second clip was published by different pro-Duterte FB accounts and pages the same day the protests were held from July 1 to 2. It showed Dela Rosa in a white polo shirt and black bullcap, saying he was “standing in solidarity” with the INC’s “national rally for peace.”
All seven false posts flagged by VERA Files Fact Check bore text that read “Senator Bato nasa rally ng INC” (at the INC rally), either as its caption or superimposed on the video.
A reverse image search reveals that this is an old video of Dela Rosa attending the INC peace rally at Quirino Grandstand, Manila on Jan. 13, 2025. The clip was taken from a longer video originally published on YouTube by ANC or the ABS-CBN News Channel.
Dela Rosa has not been seen in public since he left the Senate building on May 14, and has been in hiding to evade an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
In the clip, Dela Rosa also said he was not seeking to be “endorsed” at the rally. This is telling of the period during which the video was filmed.
He made this comment in response to a reporter’s question about whether politicians attending the rally were seeking the INC bloc’s endorsement for the 2025 midterm elections. The question was omitted in the circulating clip.
The false FB posts circulated after members of the INC led a “surprise” rally at the People Power Monument in Quezon City on June 30 in support of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, who is facing plunder charges over undisclosed campaign donations. The rally went on until July 2.
As of writing, the video uploaded by FB page Ron 2.0 (created June 20) received 682,000 views; 18,700 reactions; 2,000 comments; and 3,200 shares. Copies shared by FB pages Political Media (April 2, 2025) and Im vlog page (created Dec. 13, 2024), and three users collectively earned 504,000 views; 10,266 reactions; 1,368 comments; and 1,491 shares.
