FACT-CHECK: Duterte falsely claims opposition silent against Marcos admin

CLAIM: The opposition is silent against the Marcos administration

RATING: FALSE

In the online stream of DZAR 1026’s YouTube channel last Oct. 17, former President Rodrigo Duterte falsely claimed that the political opposition had been silent against Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration.

Duterte said “Walang oposisyon ngayon. Tignan niyo syan sa labas, walang tumitira sa gobyerno, tahimik silang lahat.”

At the Senate, the opposition is composed of Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, and siblings Alan and Pia Cayetano. At the House of Representatives, the opposition is composed of 28 representatives. The most vocal among them are representatives from the Makabayan Bloc.

During a session in the House, opposition congressman Raoul Manuel of the Kabataan Party List was explaining his vote against the proposed 2024 National Budget when his microphone was turned off. 

At the Senate, Hontiveros scrutinized the proposed confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education under Sara Duterte.

Lawyer Barry Gutierrez,spokesperson for Leni Robredo when she was vice president, said in an interview that Duterte could not claim that the opposition was already “zero” because the opposition remained alive despite the lack of numbers and power.

The “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” episode, aired on Oct. 17, has so far gained more than 129,000 views and 1,498 comments. Roselyn Dapiton

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Roselyn Dapiton is a Journalism student from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and an intern for PressOnePH. This piece was created under the supervision of PressOnePH’s editors.