Claim: The late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos supposedly gave a farewell speech to Palace household staff before leaving Malacañang Palace at the height of the People Power revolution.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim was made during a scene in a chapter titled, “Ang Huling SONA,” in the movie Maid in Malacañang.

Far from the truth: In his book Ferdinand E. Marcos: Malacañang to Makiki, Arturo C. Aruiza, Marcos’ military aide for 21 years, recounted the only thing “nearest to a farewell” that the household staff received:

“The members of the household staff, the last ones to leave the Palace, were serving us hot dinner. Two of them, Susan Reyes and Danny Almazan, steadfast to the end, approached Marcos to ask if he wanted to eat. They were weeping. Marcos shook his head, then touched them gently, blessing them, the nearest to a farewell the household staff received that night.”

Left in the dark: According to a Manila Times report on February 27, 1986 entitled, “The Final Hours” the Palace staff was unaware of the first family’s departure plan:

“Minutes before the First Family’s departure, the household staff still didn’t know of the plan. Mrs. Marcos even sent her hairstylist downstairs to get something. But when the hairstylist rushed back upstairs, the room was empty. The First Family had gone.”

– Loreben Tuquero and Lorenz Pasion/Rappler.com

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