FACT CHECK: No Marcos order expelling Arroyo from Congress

Claim:  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the expulsion of Pampanga 2nd District Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from Congress.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The false video was uploaded on November 8 by the YouTube channel Philippines Trending News which has 444,000 subscribers. As of writing, the video has 7,925 views, 205 likes, and 31 comments. 

The video’s thumbnail showed side-by-side photos of Marcos and Arroyo with the text “Pinatalsik na! Nasampulan si Gloria” (Kicked out! Gloria reprimanded). The image shows Marcos holding a document and an arrow pointing to Arroyo, implying that the President was holding the supposed order removing the lawmaker from office.

The facts: Arroyo was only stripped of her title as deputy speaker, but she remains Pampanga representative, as seen in the House of Representatives’ list of members of the 19th Congress.

Neither Marcos nor the Office of the President has released a statement on the supposed order to remove Arroyo from office.

Rules on expulsion: The president has no constitutional power to remove members of the House from their position.

This power rests with Congress, as stated in Article VI, Section 16, of the Constitution and Rule 20, Section 142 of the Rules of the House of Representatives, which states that the House may “suspend or expel” an erring member with the concurrence of two-thirds of all its Members.

No evidence: The misleading video also did not provide any evidence to back up its claim. Instead, it only showed a compilation of news reports and the opinions of broadcaster Mike Abe about Arroyo’s expulsion as deputy speaker.

Ousted as deputy speakers: On November 7, the House of Representatives ousted Arroyo and Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab as deputy speakers for failing to sign the “pivotal” House Resolution 1414, which was sponsored by the entire leadership. 

The resolution was adopted to uphold the lower chamber’s integrity and pledged support for Speaker Martin Romualdez following tirades by former President Rodrigo Duterte against the House.

Arroyo, an ally of the Dutertes, said in a statement that she was unable to sign the resolution because she was abroad. She also expressed her continued support for Romualdez’s leadership. – Larry Chavez/Rappler.com

Larry Chavez is a Rappler Intern, under the Research Unit. He is a fourth year Communication Research student at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa Manila. 

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.