A YouTube video is claiming that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has removed ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro and Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel from the House of Representatives. Not true.
There was no such order from Marcos, who has no power to remove any lawmaker from Congress.
Uploaded on Nov. 14, the video carried this headline:
“KAPAPASOK LANG:GRABE Pres marcos VPSARA lang nakagawa NITO/ANAY sa KONGRESO TINAKTAK sa PWESTO (Just in: HARSH. Only President Marcos [and] Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio were able to do this. Traitors in Congress, removed from their posts) KARMA.”
Its thumbnail also bore the text: “TANGGAL SI CASTRO AT MANUEL. GRABE PRES MARCOS LANG NAKAKAGAWA NITO. PAHIYA SA KONGRESO (Castro and Manuel were removed! Cruel, Only President Marcos can do this. Embarrassed in Congress)!”
Castro and Manuel remain as members of the House. Only their fellow lawmakers can expel them from their posts after a two-thirds vote. There are currently no moves to remove them from office.
To support its false claim, the video merely played an audio clip from a Nov. 13 SMNI program where personalities Jeffrey Celiz and Lorraine Badoy claimed, without basis, that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) is behind moves to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.
In that same clip, Celiz also claimed that the Makabayan bloc, to which the ACT Teachers and Kabataan party lists belong, is a member of the CPP. VERA Files Fact Check previously found that this claim has no basis.
(READ: VERA FILES FACT CHECK YEARENDER: A relentless stream of red-tagging in 2022)
The erroneous video emerged a day after the two lawmakers were red-tagged in an SMNI program.
Uploaded by YouTube channel BANAT KAPANIG TV (created Nov. 12, 2021) with 102,000 subscribers, the video has received 16,291 views. Facebook users also reposted the links.
VERA Files Fact Check has previously fact-checked claims on Marcos dismissing lawmakers several times.
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