Election fact checks

FALSE: Duterte endorses Bongbong Marcos for president

Rappler.com

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FALSE: Duterte endorses Bongbong Marcos for president
President Duterte has not endorsed Marcos or anyone else for the 2022 presidential election
FALSE: Duterte endorses Bongbong Marcos for president
At a glance:
  • Claim: President Rodrigo Duterte has endorsed former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr as a presidential candidate in the 2022 elections. 
  • Rating: FALSE 
  • The facts: As of Tuesday, April 13, Duterte has not endorsed Marcos as a presidential candidate in the 2022 elections. During an April 7 meeting with the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Incorporated (FFCCCII), Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque was asked whom Duterte would likely support if presidential daughter Sara Duterte or longtime presidential aide Bong Go wouldn’t run. He replied, “He (Duterte) would have to choose between Isko [Moreno], Manny Pacquiao, and Bongbong Marcos.”
  • Why we fact-checked this: YouTube Channel  “IDØL CÀLØY,” which has over 122,000 subscribers, posted a video on April 9 with this claim, and the video has reached over 15,000 views  and 257 comments as of writing. 
Complete details:

According to a video posted on YouTube channel “IDØL CÀLØY,” President Rodrigo Duterte has officially endorsed former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr as presidential candidate in the 2022 elections.

The title of the video uploaded on Friday, April 9, reads, “BONGBONG MARCOS NAPILI NA NI PRES. DUTERTE NA E-ENDORSO BILANG PANGULO DAHIL AYAW TUMAKBO NI BONG GO” (Bongbong Marcos chosen to be endorsed by President Duterte because Bong Go refuses to run). 

The video displays the text “Bongbong Marcos napili ni PRRD [President Rodrigo Roa Duterte](Bongbong Marcos chosen by PRRD [President Rodrigo Roa Duterte]) at the bottom of the screen. 

YouTube channel “IDØL CÀLØY” currently has over 122,000 subscribers. As of writing, the video has garnered 15,000 views and 257 comments. Similar claims have been circulating across YouTube since January, according to social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle. 

This claim is false. 

Duterte has not endorsed Marcos or anyone else for the 2022 presidential election. There are no official candidates for president yet as the filing of certificates of candidacy for all elective positions will happen in October 2021 yet.

During a meeting with the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Incorported on Wednesday, April 7, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque was asked about whom Duterte would likely endorse in the 2022 elections. Roque answered: “In the end, kapag hindi tumakbo si Sara [Duterte], hindi tumakbo si Bong Go – because he will only run for president if the President will run for vice president – the President will have to choose who has the numbers.” 

(In the end, if Sara [Duterte] doesn’t run, if Bong Go doesn’t run, because he [Go] will only run for president if the President will run for vice president, the President will have to choose who has the numbers.) 

Roque then said in a mix of English and Filipino: “He will have to choose from Isko [Moreno], Manny Pacquiao, and Bongbong Marcos because there’s no one else.” 

Roque was only speculating when he answered the question and did not state that Duterte had officially endorsed Marcos or any of the other possible presidential contenders. “The presidential endorsement will be formidable. Not only that, it’s not just the endorsement, it’s the machinery of government that will be working for the anointed candidate of the President,” he added. 

The president’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, previously stated that she didn’t intend to run for president in 2022. Senator Bong Go has maintained that he doesn’t intend to run for the presidency in 2022, saying: “Magbabago lang siguro ang isip ko kung tatakbong vice president si Pangulong Duterte.” (I would only change my mind if President Duterte runs for vice president.) 

In January, Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno also denied plans to run for president, stating, “I would rather focus on Manila, and focus on the pandemic.” In 2017, Duterte made a statement about wanting Senator Manny Pacquiao to run for president, but has not said anything similar since then. Furthermore, speculation about Marcos running for president has been circulating since 2018. – Sofia Guanzon/Rappler.com

Sofia Guanzon 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.

Read more claims related to the 2022 elections by clicking on the links below: 

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