MANILA, Philippines — Fake claims about the Supreme Court (SC) receiving a petition asking President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to resign from his post are just a desperate tactic to distract and deceive the people from the issues at hand, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said on Tuesday.
Adiong in a statement said that the law must be implemented against people who are making these statements online, as it is a reckless attempt at diverting public attention.
The lawmaker was referring to claims spreading on social media claiming that the SC had already received a petition containing 16 million signatures, asking that Marcos step down from office.
READ: SC denies receiving Marcos resignation petition
“This is a blatant act of deception, meant to sow confusion and disrupt our nation. We will not allow malicious actors to use the Supreme Court as a tool for political sabotage,” Adiong said.
“The law must come down hard on those spreading these lies,” he added.
Adiong, an Assistant Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, thanked SC for quickly debunking the disinformation attempt.
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Earlier, the Office of the SC spokesperson Camille Ting said the High Tribunal has not received any document bearing the title “Supreme Court Receives Petition on 16 Million Signatures Calling for President Marcos’ Resignation,” adding that their office has not issued such a document.
According to the SC, the supposed document was spread by Facebook accounts under the names “Choose Libungan” and “Bernard Flores Maicon.”
SC also vowed to investigate these acts of disinformation and take necessary measures, “including the imposition of proper sanctions on those responsible.”
READ: Spread of fake news after Duterte arrest brings shame to PH – Ortega
According to Adiong, these false claims—along with misinformation and disinformation spreading over the past week—only signal the need for stronger penalties against parties using social media to propagate false information.
“Panahon nang tapusin ang ganitong panlilinlang. Ang kasinungalingan ay may tunay na epekto—nilalason nito ang isip ng taumbayan at ginugulo ang ating bansa. Ang mga nasa likod nito ay dapat managot sa ilalim ng batas,” Adiong said.
(It’s time that we end this kind of deception. Spreading lies has a tangible effect—it poisons the minds of the people and disrupts our country. Those behind this must be held accountable under the law.)
READ: Medialdea is spreading fake news on Duterte’s condition – Garin
“Disinformation is a serious threat to national stability. The public must be vigilant and verify sources before believing or spreading unverified claims. The truth must always prevail over deception,” he added.
Aside from Adiong, other lawmakers have called out misinformation and disinformation going around social media networks. Earlier, La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V said that the massive spread of misinformation and disinformation after former President Rodrigo Duterte was taken into custody by the International Criminal Court (ICC) only brings shame to the country.
Ortega was referring to the huge amount of social media posts containing fake information and even hate speech against foreign institutions like the ICC—as Duterte supporters harassed ICC Presiding Judge Lulia Motoc and made degrading comments about her.
There were also posts falsely claiming that Motoc shared a photo with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos. Also, Ortega noted that there have been different “false narratives” on social media, including those from former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea, who claimed that Duterte was missing and was not given the proper medical care.
“The attacks on Judge Motoc show how far disinformation networks will go to distort reality and discredit legal proceedings. They’re fabricating stories, questioning credibility, and spreading outright lies just to muddy the waters,” Ortega said.
Last Friday, Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin said that Medialdea is only spreading misinformation, noting that her prior experience in working with the Dutch people showed that they are very meticulous and considerate when it comes to the health and welfare of people.
Garin was a former Health secretary during the time of former President Benigno Aquino III.
According to lawyer Kristina Conti, these posts may be bad for Duterte’s legal standing as they may backfire—through a provision in the Rome Statute, it may be invoked against such actions.
ICC-accredited lawyer Joel Butuyan also believes these online harassments of the ICC and its judges may adversely affect Duterte’s interim release plea. —with reports from Keith Irish Clores, trainee