FALSE: Colmenares says he’s angry at Marcos because he was electrocuted during Martial Law

At a glance

• Claim: A quote card claimed that former lawmaker and Bayan Muna party chair Neri Colmenares said he was against the Marcoses because his genitals were electrocuted during Martial Law.
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: Colmenares denied ever saying the alleged quote. The original quote card featured Colmenares’ reaction to Bongbong Marcos’ presidential nomination.
• Why we fact-checked this: Several Facebook pages were spotted on CrowdTangle posting the quote card.

Complete details

Various Facebook pages posted a quote card that allegedly featured a statement from former congressman Neri Colmenares.

“Kinuryente ang tite ko nung martial law kaya galit ako kay Marcos,” the quote read. (My penis was electrocuted during Martial Law, that’s why I’m mad at Marcos.)

A CrowdTangle search showed several Facebook posts with the fake quote.

The alleged quote from Colmenares is false.

Colmenares denied ever saying the quote in the graphic. “No, I did not say this nor issued any [quote] card on that,” he said in an email to Rappler.

No reports or news articles can be found with the alleged quote coming from Colmenares.

The original quote card published by News5 on September 25 featured Colmenares’ reaction to Marcos’ presidential nomination.

“Only power-hungry families like the Marcoses are desperate for the Palace because they know that history has judged them with justice on its mind. They will do what it takes, even reinforce its ties with the Duterte family to secure the presidency,” the real quote read.

The fake quote appears to twist Colmenares’ account of torture during Martial Law. “Inilagay nila ’yung isang taong hindi ko kilala sa mesa. Hinubaran nila, tinali nila, tapos…nilagyan nila ng alambre ang kanyang penis. So pinanood ako. I was an 18-year-old kid. Tapos sasabihin nila ako ang susunod,” Colmenares recalled in a 2016 interview with Rappler.

(They placed a man I didn’t know on the table. They stripped him naked, tied him up, and then…they placed metal rods on his penis. And they made me watch. I was an 18-year-old kid. And they told me I was next.)

Colmenares was arrested and tortured during Martial Law for protesting the Marcos regime’s ban on student councils and campus publications. (WATCH: Surviving torture during martial law)

Colmenares filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for a third Senate bid on October 7, a day after Marcos filed his own COC for president. – Tatiana Maligro/Rappler.com

Tatiana Maligro is a Rappler intern. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s internship 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.