A statement supposedly from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announcing that he will step down from office in response to the Sept. 21 anti-corruption rallies is circulating online. This is fake. Malacañang Palace did not release such a statement.
On Sept. 22, a Facebook page uploaded a social media graphic supposedly released by Malacañang. The graphic was laid out to look like those published by the president’s official social media pages.
The post bore the caption:
“TIGNAN: Malcañang (sic) nagpalabas ng Official Statement tungkol sa na (sic) naganap na rally. PBBM nais na mag resign sa susunod na linggo, totoo ba? Basahin ang kanyang statement (LOOK: Malacañang issues official statement on the rally that took place. PBBM wants to resign next week. Is it true? Read his statement).”
The president supposedly said:
“Ako po’y magreresign na sa darating na linggo upang hindi na kayo mahirapan at nang hindi na madagdagan pa ang alalahanin ng taumbayan. Nauunawaan ko ang bigat ng damdaming ipinahahayag ng ating mga kababayan – ang kanilang pagkadismaya, galit, at panghihinayang sa mga nangyayari sa ating pamahalaan. Hindi ko nais na maging hadlang o pabigat sa ating bayan, kaya’t mas makabubuti na ako’y bumaba na sa puwesto.
Nais ko ring ipaalala na kahit noong panahon ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte, hindi rin kaagad nahuhuli o napaparusahan ang mga tiwaling opisyal at kawani ng gobyerno. Ito ay dahil tayo ay sumusunod sa batas at sa tamang proseso ng hustisya. Hindi po basta-basta ang paglaban sa katiwalian – kailangan itong gawin nang naaayon sa ating saligang batas at mga umiiral na alituntunin.
Maraming salamat sa lahat ng aking mga minamahal na kababayan. Sa kabila ng lahat, ako’y nananatiling nagpapasalamat sa tiwalang inyong ibinigay. Hinihiling ko ang pagkakaisa ng sambayanan at ang patuloy na pananalig sa ating bayan.
(I will be resigning next week so you will not have to suffer any more and the people will not have additional worries. I understand the gravity of the emotions expressed by our countrymen – their frustration, anger, and regret over what is happening in our government. I do not want to be an obstacle or a burden to our people, so it would be better for me to step down from my position.
I also want to remind you that even during the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte, corrupt officials and government employees were not immediately caught or punished. This is because we follow the law and the proper process of justice. Fighting corruption is not something that can be done easily – it must be done in accordance with our constitution and existing rules.
Thank you very much to all my beloved countrymen. Despite everything, I remain grateful for the trust you have given me. I ask for the unity of the people and continued faith in our country).”
This is fabricated. The president did not make such a remark, nor did the Palace publish the graphic.
A review of Marcos’ official social media pages has not carried any such resignation statement.
While the fake graphic’s layout is similar to those released by the president’s official accounts, the font used is noticeably different.
Official graphics use a serif font or typefaces that have decorative strokes at the end. The fake graphic used a non-serif font – those without the strokes. This suggests that the fabricated text was edited on top of one of the official graphics.
There is no such statement published by the Presidential Communications Office either.
In a Sept. 22 Malacañang press briefing, PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro said the president heard the people’s call to hold corrupt officials accountable. But she made no mention about the president’s supposed resignation.
The fake graphic circulated a day after the massive anti-corruption rallies held in Luneta and the People Power Monument, where many Filipinos also called for Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte to be held accountable.
VERA Files has debunked other disinformation related to the anti-corruption rallies sparked by the investigations into the anomalous flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
The post by the FB page Surigao del Sur Ngayon (created on Sept. 21, 2021 as ASA SI ADEK) garnered 482 reactions, 415 comments and 176 shares as of writing. Other FB users reposted copies of the fabricated graphic.
