A TikTok post reshared on Facebook (FB) claims that Singapore’s former leaders expressed support for an independent Mindanao. This is false.
The post that first appeared last Dec. 13, but which continues to circulate, carried this text:
“PRESIDENT OF SINGAPORE SUPPORT TO SEPARATION OF MINDANAO REPUBLIC MINDANAO IS LOOKS LIKE SINGAPORE SOON (sic)”
It showed a photo of Vice-President Sara Duterte speaking with former president Halimah Yacob as two guards stood behind them and another one where she was shaking hands with ex-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. Both are not recent photos but taken in 2023.
An FB user sent the post to VERA Files’ Misinformation Tip Line on FB Messenger for verification.
The creation of a ‘Mindanao republic’ or support thereof was not part of any conversation with the former Singaporean leaders.
The photos used in the post were taken during a 2023 visit by Duterte to Singapore, during which she paid courtesy calls on Yacob and Lee. Both photos had flags digitally added: a blue flag beside Duterte containing a map of Mindanao surrounded by 12 stars in a circle, and a Singaporean flag beside Lee and Halimah.
Note: Click the original photos to reveal their source.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said the meeting between Halimah and Duterte on June 14, 2023 reaffirmed the long-standing relationship between Singapore and the Philippines.
They also discussed regional developments and Duterte’s priorities during her term, according to Halimah’s official FB post.
The supposed “Mindanao Republic,” or anything about it, was not on the agenda of VP Duterte’s meetings with Singapore’s former leaders.
Lee is no longer prime minister of Singapore. He was succeeded by Lawrence Wong in May 2024 while the incumbent president is Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who assumed office in September 2023.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte about a year ago called for the secession of Mindanao from the Philippines. The call was rejected by national officials as well as those from the southern region, including the leaders of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
Duterte’s call was triggered by moves in Congress to amend certain provisions in the Constitution purportedly to ease foreign investments, but the former chief executive accused the current leadership of using charter change to remain in power.
TikTok users @republicofmindanao, @menchell_blue, and @nene70149 shared the post on Dec. 13, 14 and 21, garnering 1.92 million views, 141,395 reactions, 9,873 comments, and 5,547 shares.
Two other Facebook users reshared the posts, which first appeared around the time Sara Duterte was sought for questioning after she made threatening remarks against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
