Claim: There will be no elections in 2028, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will be replaced by his son, House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The video bearing the claim was uploaded on May 22 and has since garnered over 26,000 views, 2,200 likes, and 450 comments. Its thumbnail features the text, “No election in 2028? BBM malala na ang sakit. Sandro to president? Bad and sad news for PRRD.”

(No election in 2028? [Bongbong Marcos’] illness is getting worse. Sandro for president? Bad and sad news for [former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte]).

The video was uploaded by the YouTube channel “JAY GUEVARRA TV,” an account with over 509,000 subscribers that consistently posts spliced videos concerning social issues and Philippine government updates.

Another video with the same claim was posted on May 22 by the Facebook page “Banat by Banateros,” which has over 1.4 million followers. The post has over 273,000 views, 11,600 reactions, 1,700 comments, and 830 shares as of writing.

Both videos attribute their claims to remarks made by Senator Imee Marcos about the administration’s alleged push for charter change to extend her brother’s term as president.

The facts: Marcos has denied claims that he intends to remain in power beyond his six-year term, dismissing allegations made by his sister, Imee, as “fake news.”

“She should fire her staffer who gave her that information,” Marcos said at a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, on May 29.

“Fake news hurts everyone — not only those that fake news is attacking, but the purveyors of fake news are also damaged by this…she should choose her sources of information better,” he added.

Malacañáng also rejected claims that Marcos is pushing for charter change to extend his presidency. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro assured the public that the administration will follow the law, emphasizing that plans for the 2028 elections remain on track.

“Kung anuman ang tungkol sa batas, hindi iyan lumalabag sa batas. Meron tayong batas patungkol sa susunod na eleksyon, 2028, so nakakasiguro tayo na ang Pangulo ay susunod sa batas,” Castro said.

(Whatever the law dictates, the President will not violate it. We have a clear law regarding the upcoming 2028 elections, so the public can rest assured that the President will follow the law.) 

Imee’s allegations: In her privilege speech during the Senate plenary session on May 25, Senator Imee Marcos played a nine-minute video claiming that members of the minority bloc are quietly pushing for Charter change. She alleged that this move aims to extend the terms of incumbent elected officials, including her brother’s presidency.

The senator also claimed that there were proposals to raise the minimum age requirement for presidential candidates in a targeted move to block Vice President Sara Duterte from running for president. (READ: [DECODED] How charter change narratives spread online amid Senate chaos)

The minority bloc firmly denied the allegations, dismissing them as a conspiracy theory. Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri moved to strike Marcos’ video presentation from the Senate records, labeling it “horrible propaganda.”

“We are becoming a circus because of the type of language being pushed in this august chamber. It is unparliamentary,” Zubiri said.

Imee later withdrew her remarks and the video she presented from the records.

Malacañang later called Imee’s claims an attempt “to conceal and bury more pressing issues,” noting that the allegations surfaced amid the Vice President’s looming impeachment trial and Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s evasion of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant during the shooting incident at the Senate.

“The way I see it, yes, it is just a diversionary tactic,” Castro said.

“This is meant to cover up what really happened in the Senate — specifically, how Senator Robin Padilla was able to help Senator Bato escape or leave, as well as what really transpired during the shooting, who started it, and who wanted this kind of chaos to happen,” she added. – Reinnard Balonzo/Rappler.com 

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at [email protected]. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.