Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. fled Malacañang Palace after former Ako Bikol representative Zaldy Co implicated him in the 2025 budget insertion scandal.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube video posted on November 14 is titled “BBM, tumakas na! Malacañang, pinalibutan ng barbed wire at barikada.”

(BBM has fled! Malacañang has been surrounded by barbed wire and barricades.)

The thumbnail features images of barricades and barbed wire installations paired with the text, “Tumakas na ng Malacañang (Fled Malacañang),” and the caption “Sign of Guilt.”  

Text on the video’s downstream reads, “Mendiola, pinalibutan na ng mga barbed wire at barikada; takot na takot na si BBM at Liza! Wala na sa Malacañang?” 

(Mendiola, surrounded by barbed wire and barricades, BBM and Liza are scared! Gone from Malacañang?) 

The video’s narrator likened the situation to the final days of the dictatorship of the President’s father, the late Ferdinand E. Marcos. The narrator implies that Marcos had ordered the setup of the barricades following Co’s bicam budget insertion allegations. 

The video has garnered 69,037 views, 3,000 likes, and 580 comments as of writing. 

The facts: Marcos has not fled Malacañang. The Presidential Communications Office has continued to post updates on the President’s activities, including his November 18 visit to the typhoon-hit province of Albay to distribute aid to affected residents.

A Google reverse image search yields photos taken by Norman Cruz of Manila Standard and Edd Gumban of The Philippine STAR, showing barricades set up around the Mendiola Peace Arch in Manila as preparation for scheduled anti-corruption protests, specifically the rally organized by the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) from November 16 to 18.

The Marcos administration deployed heavy security for the rally, with the Philippine National Police fielding 16,000 police officers and enforcing a policy of “maximum tolerance.”

The barricades, container vans, and police checkpoints placed at Mendiola, Ayala Bridge, and General Solano shown in the video and its thumbnail are standard security installations deployed ahead of public protests — contrary to the claim that these were set up as part of Marcos’ supposed response to Co’s accusations.

Just days before the rally, Co — who has been linked to the budget insertion scheme and flood control project controversy — released a series of three videos from November 14 to 16, accusing Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez of requesting P100 billion in budget insertions for the 2025 national budget and receiving P25 billion in kickbacks. Malacañang has denied these allegations. (READ: Zaldy Co, whistleblower?) 

INC rally: The INC held a “justice and peace” rally at the Quirino Grandstand beginning on November 16. Initially announced as a three-day event, the gathering ended earlier than scheduled on Monday, November 17. (READ: HIGHLIGHTS: Iglesia ni Cristo rally)

According to INC, the rally sought to demand a “proper and transparent” investigation into the multibillion-peso flood control controversy.

During the protest, Senator Imee Marcos dropped a political bombshell, alleging that her brother and the First Family are users of illegal drugs. (READ: Imee calls brother President Bongbong Marcos, First Family ‘drug addicts’) 

Malacañang strongly dismissed the accusations. Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro cited the President’s previous negative drug tests and questioned Senator Marcos’ motives, hinting that her claims may be linked to possible upcoming investigations targeting her Senate allies. – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com

Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024. 

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