Misleading posts have been circulating on Facebook (FB) claiming that the Supreme Court (SC) has sided with Vice President Sara Duterte, thereby nullifying her impeachment.
A reader sent a March 8 FB reel for verification through VERA Files’ Messenger Misinformation Tipline. Showing a clip from a Feb. 25 press briefing of SC Spokesperson Camille Ting, the caption of the video claimed:
“Kinatigan o Pinanigan ng KORTE SUPREMA si VP Sara Duterte sa re- impeachment Pinawalang Bisa”
(The Supreme Court sided with VP Sara Duterte nullified her impeachment)
Two separate FB reels posted on April 19 and 20 have also gone viral, showing a screenshot of a YouTube video with a headline:
“PANALO SI VP SARA. Supreme Court kumilos harangin ang impeachment?”
(VP SARA WON. Supreme Court acted to block the impeachment?)
All the above reels are misleading. The information referenced in the videos came from a Feb. 25 press briefer, stating that SC ordered the House of Representatives and the Senate to respond to a petition by Duterte questioning the constitutionality of her impeachment. It is not a ruling on the petition itself.
As of April 23, there has been no decision posted on the SC website relating to the vice president’s petition in connection with her impeachment.
The misleading claims circulated on social media amid discussions on when the Senate will begin Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Published by various FB users, the reels have collectively garnered around 18,900 likes, 2261 comments and 10,900 shares.
