A YouTube video has spread a false claim that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is resigning, based on a clipped soundbite from a Presidential Communications Office podcast. However, this is untrue, as Marcos was only discussing the continuity of reforms after his term. No official statement on resignation has come from Malacañang.
On December 11, a YouTube channel with 283,000 subscribers posted a nine-minute video suggesting that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is suddenly stepping down from office. Its thumbnail featured the text “BREAKING NEWS — Pres Marcos biglang nagpaalam sa pagbaba sa pwesto?” and the vlogger stated, “Many were surprised. Many were saddened by the sudden farewell of our beloved President as he steps down from his position.”
The video used soundbites from BBM Podcast 6 (Episode 2), uploaded by the Presidential Communications Office on the same day. In the episode, Marcos responded to a question about whether he would govern differently from his father, the late former president Ferdinand E. Marcos. He emphasized the importance of structural reforms that would endure beyond his administration: “My hope and the reason the structural change is important is because even when I am no longer here, I hope the changes we started or those already underway will continue so they will not be undone.”
In context, “even when I am no longer here” refers to the end of his term due to term limits, not an immediate resignation. The video isolated this line to create an impression of a farewell, though it included a brief disclaimer at the end clarifying this. As of now, the video has 6,200 views, 445 likes, and 407 comments, showing support from some social media users.
There is no official statement from Malacañang regarding a resignation. In fact, in recent weeks, there have been calls for Marcos to resign amid corruption allegations involving the bicam insertion scheme and claims of his alleged drug use, but the Palace has repeatedly denied these. This incident mirrors previous fabricated claims debunked by Rappler, such as those about Marcos being replaced or forced out of Malacañang.
The case highlights the need for critical reading of online content to combat disinformation.
