A video of Sen. Imee Marcos supposedly criticizing Vice President Sara Duterte indirectly for her frequent overseas trips is circulating online. The clip was spliced and is misleading.
On Aug. 17, a TikTok user uploaded a 20-second video of Marcos criticizing Davao officials for their frequent travels. The text in the video claimed that Marcos was referring to the Vice President, who has recently been called out for her frequent overseas trips. Copies of the video have since been shared on Facebook.
The video carried the text:
“Breaking News. Imee Marcos bumaliktad na Sara Duterte pinaringgan (Imee Marcos shifted and indirectly criticized Sara Duterte).”
In the circulating clip, the senator can be heard saying:
“Kailangan na ‘yan ng buong Davao. Naghihikahos. Papaano? Dati, number one exporter sa buong mundo. Tapos naging number two dahil sa Ecuador. Ngayon, number…ewan. Kulelat na kulelat na dahil sa Vietnam. Pwede ba i-rescue na? Tigilan na ‘yung biyahe nang biyahe na mga official diyan, marketing kuno pero nage-enjoy lang sa abroad.”
(The entire Davao needs that. It is struggling. How? Before, it was the number one exporter in the world. Then it became number two because of Ecuador. Now, number…I don’t know. It’s the last of the last because of Vietnam. Can it be rescued already? Stop the officials who keep traveling allegedly for marketing purposes but they are just enjoying themselves abroad).
The clip was taken out of context to make it seem that Marcos was alluding to the vice president.
Marcos’ official FB page uploaded the original one-minute and five second clip on Aug. 17 titled “Banana Rescue.”
In the video, Marcos urged the Department of Agriculture to address issues surrounding the country’s banana industry. The senator mentioned the Davao region being the top exporter in the previous years before exports started declining.
She further urged the officials who frequently travel to address these problems instead of traveling for leisure. While Marcos did not mention who she was referring to, she specifically mentioned the DA at the end of the video, asking the department to take action.
The circulating clip was not a statement against Duterte, who has been under scrutiny over her travels abroad, as the fake posts said.
The presidential sister has been in the middle of the rift between the Marcos and Duterte camps. The president’s elder sister has made clear her support for the Dutertes – defending the vice president in the impeachment complaint against her and her opposition to the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte, among others.
The spliced clip circulated five days after Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro criticized the vice president for her frequent travels abroad on “personal agenda.”
VERA Files has debunked other disinformation related to the senator.
Misleading posts uploaded by the FB page NARDZ TV51 (created on March 12, 2024 as MP Vlog) and three other users collectively garnered 13,835 reactions, 289 comments, 1,787 shares and 2,771,000 views. A copy shared by TikTok user @penoyako2 also garnered 1,893 reactions, 204 comments, 122 shares and 152,600 views.
