A Facebook post and a website article are spreading the erroneous claim that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has decided to “remove” Sens. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Robin Padilla and Joel Villanueva office. This is false.
On Aug. 22, an FB page published the post and included a link to the spurious website with the same false claim. The caption read:
“JUST IN! Chiz Escudero, Padilla, and Villanueva break down in tears as they bid farewell — after President Marcos Jr. delivers the shocking decision to remove them from power! What really happened behind closed doors?”
The unnamed author of the linked website article further added that the “bombshell decision” came out of nowhere, shocking staff members in Congress as they allegedly witnessed the three senators “visibly shaken” following the announcement of their supposed removal.
This is not true. The three senators remain in their elected positions and are not facing any move to remove them.
The president has no power to suspend or expel an elected lawmaker. According to Article VI, Section 16 of the 1987 Constitution, only senators can expel a fellow member in the Senate following a two-thirds vote.
This post surfaced amid the flood control projects controversy. Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said in an Aug. 23 interview that senators may be involved in the anomalous flood control projects through their power to propose insertions in the national budget.
In an exclusive Politiko report, Escudero was said to have inserted P142.7 billion in the 2025 General Appropriations Act. Villanueva’s bailiwick, Bulacan, was the biggest recipient of insertions worth over P12 billion in infrastructure allotments.
FB page Magsasaka, Mabuhay Ka (created on July 18, 2017) published the post with the made-up claim, garnering over 970 reactions, 730 comments and 50 shares. The article was posted on a website called newspro.celebtoday24h.com, which is managed from the United States with content focusing on issues in the Philippines.
