FILE PHOTO: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (L) administered the oath of newly appointed Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro (R) in the Malacañan Palace on Tuesday, June 06, 2023. (KJ ROSALES/PPA POOL)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. debunked rumors that Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro resigned from his post.
He urged the public not to be swayed by such “fake news” and other false statements flowing on social media.
In a chance interview in Navotas City, Marcos responded to questions regarding the rumors that Teodoro quit as chief of the Department of National Defense (DND).
“Unang-una, sagutin ko ‘yung tanong mo. Fake, fake, fake, fake, fake, fake, fake news ‘yan,” he told reporters, following an aid distribution activity in Navotas City on Thursday.
(First of all, I’ll answer your question. Fake, fake, fake, fake, fake, fake news.)
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“Lahat po ng ating mga kasamahan ay walang ginawa po kung hindi araw-araw, paggising, hangga’t matulog ay kung papaano tumulong at papaano pagandahin ang Pilipinas. ‘Yan po ang [lahat na] hangarin ng… pamahalaan ninyo. Huwag po kayo madadala sa mga fake news na ganyang klase, huwag po kayo madadala sa mga ganyang mga panggulo na ginagawa nila,” said Marcos.
(All of our colleagues have done nothing but think of ways to help and make the Philippines better, day in and day out. That is all the desire of your government. Don’t get carried away by fake news like that, don’t get carried away by the distraction they’re doing.)
Marcos added that he and Teodoro just laughed at the issue during a phone conversation earlier Thursday.
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“Sabi niya, ‘huwag nating papansinin.’ Sabi ko, ‘pero kailangan natin sagutin at ipaliwanag sa taong bayan na itong klasing, mga chismis, mga marites, kinakalat lang nila ito para manggulo’,” the president continued.
(He said, “let’s not pay attention to it.” I said, “but we need to respond and explain to the public that this kind of gossip, these rumors, they are just spreading it to cause trouble.”)
Social was rife with claims that Teodoro resigned as DND head and that more Cabinet members of the Marcos administration were also planning to quit.
Malacañang, through Press Secretary Cesar Chavez, issued a statement also on Thursday, belying the gossip and described it as “pathetic attempts to sow disunity.”
Chavez said Marcos’ trust and confidence in Teodoro “has never wavered.”