Netizens are circulating a quote card of First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos supposedly calling Sen. Imee Marcos “retokada,” or someone who has undergone plastic surgery, as a response to the latter’s drug accusations against the First Family. This is fake.
Since Nov. 18, netizens have shared the social media graphic bearing a photo of the First Lady and her supposed response to her sister-in-law’s accusations that she, President Ferdinand Marcos, the senator’s brother, and their son are drug users.
Liza was quoted as saying:
“I won’t argue with you anymore, because after all, you’re my husband’s sister and I respect mommy (Imelda). Pero ‘yang mga statements mo fake, kasing fake ng mukha mong retokada (But your statements are fake, just as fake as your retouched face).”
This is fake. There are no official reports of the First Lady making such remarks. The First Lady herself has disowned the statement in a Nov. 19 Facebook post.
Mrs. Marcos described the quote card as “fake news” and said it was just “entertainment, Pinoy style.”
This was echoed by Palace Press Officer Claire Castro in a Nov. 19 interview with GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita, noting that the spurious quote card does not reflect “the first lady’s character.”
That same day, Sen. Marcos warned netizens against a fabricated quote card of her supposedly reacting to Liza’s fake quote.
In the fabricated statement, the presidential sister supposedly said:
“Yes, don’t argue with me, you should thank me, Ipinilit kita sa kapatid ko kahit maganda lahat ng ex nya, ikaw ang pinaka-ugly with biggest tummy full of drugs and wine. And photos naeedit, pero ang hair follicle test hindi nareretoke (I pushed you to my sibling even though all her exes are beautiful. You are the ugliest with the biggest tummy full of drugs and wine. And photos can be edited, but the hair follicle test can not be retouched).”
Some netizens commented that the post was Imee’s way of being sarcastic about Liza.
These fake quote cards emerged as the sibling rift between the president and his sister continued. They circulated a day after the senator made her accusation during the Iglesia ni Cristo rally at the Quirino Grandstand. Malacañang has since denied the accusations and presidential son House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos also released a statement saying the senator’s statements are “baseless, untrue and do not do anything good to the country.”
Imee Marcos’ speech came after Rep. Zaldy Co alleged that the president and his cousin, former House speaker Martin Romualdez were the masterminds behind the flood control anomalies.
At least ten posts by FB users and pages such as Starmometer (created on Nov. 22, 2013), Readers Portal (Jan. 3, 2017) and Ka Chika (Sept. 16, 2020) have flooded the Internet, collectively garnering 4,525 reactions, 1,276 comments and 207 shares. Copies of the fake quote also circulated on X, TikTok and Instagram.
