As the Philippines geared up for mid-term elections in May, social media users shared an edited video to falsely claim the audience at a rally of candidates backed by President Ferdinand Marcos in February chanted the name of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte. Reviews of the original audio of the rally show the audience chanted Marcos’ name, not Duterte’s. The chant was taken from an unrelated event when supporters of a senator endorsed by Duterte yelled out the former president’s name.
The video — shared on TikTok on February 12 — purportedly shows a crowd chanting “Duterte, Duterte!” while Marcos delivers a speech inside a stadium.
Superimposed text on the video reads: “Supporters are crying ‘Duterte’. This is embarrassing for BBM and the senators,” referring to Marcos’ initials.
The video was reposted several times on Facebook and TikTok here and here with the claim.
The posts circulated after campaigning began on February 11 in the Philippines for mid-term elections that could set the table for the next presidential race and determine the future of impeached Vice President Sara Duterte (archived link).
The May 12 vote will fill more than 18,000 posts nationwide — including 12 vacancies in the Senate, which will decide on her impeachment.
The vice president, whose alliance with Marcos has imploded spectacularly, was charged by the House of Representatives in February with “violation of the constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes”.
Some users appeared to believe the video was genuine.
“Even if that is Marcos’s bailiwick, there are still a lot of solid Duterte fans there,” one user said.
“Where does that leave you? The people are crying Duterte. That means the people dislike you,” another commented, mocking Marcos.
But the video was edited to make it appear the crowd was shouting ex-president Duterte’s name.
Read the full story on AFP Fact Check.