A viral post on social media purporting to show an incoming senator, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, has called for the resignation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. over alleged investigations into flood control projects for the month of May 2026.
However, a fact-check by Rappler found that the claim is false.
The baseless claim originated from remarks made by Lacson when discussing the Senate probe into allegations of anomalies in flood control projects. In his interviews and speeches, he claimed he would not hesitate to take legal actions against any individual involved in corrupt practices, including the president, but he did not ask Marcos to resign from his post.
The baseless claim gained traction amid political turmoil in the Philippines after reports of conflicts between senators and investigations of expenditures on infrastructure programs.
It was noted that there were no credible statements, press releases, or interviews in which Lacson asked President Marcos to quit his position. Malacañang did not report such a claim on its website.
On the contrary, Lacson emphasized the importance of investigations based on evidence and sanctions against any politician guilty of corruption.
The example proves that even the simplest political statement can easily be misquoted on the Internet. The most common way of spreading rumors about political figures involves editing captions or designing misleading images.
Fact-checkers persistently advise the public to verify information on the Internet from reputable sources before sharing it.
