Two YouTube videos claimed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos has appointed former Interior and Local Government secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II as agriculture secretary. The claim is false.
There are no reports of Marcos appointing Roxas or any other person to head the Department of Agriculture (DA). The president himself remains acting agriculture secretary.
Posted on Dec. 1 and 2, the videos carried false headlines and thumbnails.
The Dec. 1 video bore the headline:
“KAPAPASOK LANG! PRES MARCOS nag DISISYON na MAR ROXAS NATUWA BAGONG DEP AGRICULTURE PINANGALANAN na (JUST IN! PRES MARCOS already made a DECISION MAR ROXAS DELIGHTED NEW DEP AGRICULTURE ALREADY NAMED).”
The thumbnail also bore the text “Welcome back Roxas. Bagong D.A. Pinangalanan na (New D.A. already named).” It also featured a photo of Roxas holding his certificate of candidacy in 2018 with an arrow pointing to the document, relating it to his supposed appointment. Images of Marcos and former president Rodrigo Duterte were also used. The text “YOU DESERVE IT MAR ROXAS” was also added.
The Dec. 2 video’s headline had the same claim:
“KAPAPASOK LANG! (JUST IN) SHOCKING! MAR ROXAS IS BACK BILANG (AS) SECRETARY NG (OF THE) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE!”
Its thumbnail also featured photos of Marcos, Roxas and First Lady Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos, with the text: “BREAKING NEWS TODAY ITO ANG BALITANG IBUBUNYAG NGAYON (THIS IS THE NEWS THAT WILL BE REVEALED NOW).”
Both videos contain slideshows of images with an audio clip from another vlogger’s Nov. 29 commentary livestream on Roxas’ possible appointment, insinuating that this is due to Roxas’ relations with the first lady. The two are cousins.
The videos were uploaded two days after Marcos, in a Nov. 29 press briefing at the International Rice Research Institute, said “lots of names” are being floated to take on the DA portfolio. But he said he still has things he would like to achieve “before leaving the department.”
Talks about Roxas getting a cabinet position surfaced after his wife, broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez-Roxas, “followed” the presidential family as part of her work at the Masskara festival in Bacolod city on Oct. 24.
The YouTube video uploaded by the channel MALACANYANG WATCH (created on Aug. 3, 2022) garnered 20,680 views while the video by the channel BALITAAN NG BAYAN TV (Jul 27, 2020) garnered 7,130 views.
Have you seen any dubious claims, photos, memes, or online posts that you want us to verify? Fill out this reader request form or send it to ‘VERA, the truth bot’ on Viber.
(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
