FALSE: Cebuanos scream ‘Fuck you’ at Bongbong Marcos during his visit

At a glance

• Claim: A video of a Cebuano crowd shows them supposedly chanting “Fuck you” at presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during his visit to Cebu on October 22, 2021. 
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: The original video was taken on November 18, 2016, when Ateneans condemned the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, his father, at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Students, teachers, alumni, and employees of Ateneo de Manila University joined the protest held along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City.
• Why we fact-checked this: At least one Facebook user and two pages reposted this false video. As of writing, these posts have over 200,100 views, 8,800 shares, 6,600 reactions, and 650 comments combined. Several readers also emailed the posts to Rappler for verification.

Complete details

A video of an allegedly Cebuano crowd shows them supposedly chanting “Fuck you” at presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during his visit to Cebu City on October 22, 2021. 

A Facebook user named “Ferdinand Arroyo” and two Facebook pages, “TROPA” and “Tropang Maharlika,” state in their captions: “Sorry guys, Marcos is not welcome in Cebu City! (Such a pity.)”

“Bakit naman Kasi daw sila boboto Kay BBM mas nauna pa naging CITY Yung Cebu kaysa sa ilocos, pano nya ibabangon Ang PILIPINAS Hindi nga nya maiibangon ang ilocos lahat naman ng local position nahawakan na nya, even senator,” Facebook page TROPA continues in its caption.

(Why would they vote for Bongbong Marcos? Cebu City became a city before Ilocos did. How would he help the Philippines get back on its feet when he couldn’t do it for Ilocos as a local politician and even as a senator?)

(Ilocos Norte, where Bongbong Marcos served as vice governor and later governor, cannot be converted into a city because it’s a province. – Editor)

As of writing, these posts have over 200,100 views, 8,800 shares, 6,600 reactions, and 650 comments combined, Several readers also emailed the posts to Rappler for verification.

The claim is false.

Cebuanos did not shout expletives at Marcos Jr. during his visit to Cebu on October 22, 2021.

The original video was taken on November 18, 2016, when Ateneans condemned the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, his father, at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LMNB). Students, teachers, alumni, and employees of Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) joined the protest held along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City.

The Guidon, the official student publication of AdMU, posted a similar video of the protests, stating in its captions, “Ateneans scream “Fuck you, Marcos!” in indignation. #MarcosBurial”

Aside from screaming the expletives at the Philippine dictator, Ateneans also called him a thief, a coward, and a mass murderer, among others, in indignation over Marcos’ burial at LMNB on that day.

Bongbong went to Cebu City to inaugurate his headquarters in the city and lead the oath-taking of the local Partido Federal Pilipinas (PFP) officers. 

He also had a meeting in Cebu with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte on Sunday, October 24, where they talked about how the latter’s regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) could help his presidential bid.

There was no moment in between or after those reported events in Cebu that Marcos Jr. encountered a crowd in the streets shouting “Fuck you” at him.

Marcos lost to Leni Robredo in the province of Cebu and in the independent cities of Lapu-Lapu and Cebu in the 2016 vice presidential race. The son of the late dictator mustered 310,054 votes, while Robredo got 817,052.

Bongbong’s father, Ferdinand, earned an official Guinness World Record for the “greatest robbery of a government.” The Guiness entry states that the amount lost from the national coffers was believed to be between $5 billion and $10 billion, including those stolen by his convicted mother Imelda and government cohorts.

Ferdinand also oversaw widespread human rights abuses to remain in power and enable his plundering, with thousands of people killed and tortured, based on government records from previous Philippine governments. – Art Lubiano/Rappler.com

Art Lubiano is a Visayas-based journalist and an awardee of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.