Edmund Pelingon

A YouTube video was posted on July 22, accompanied by a thumbnail that shows the faces of Sen. Zubiri, Sen. Imee, and Pres. Marcos with the text “Tanggal sa Posisyon'' and “Ito ang matinding utos ni Sen Imee at PBBM.” 

Is it true?


Claim: Sen. Imee Marcos and Pres. Marcos ordered Sen. Zubiri to step down as Senate President.

Rating: False

Conclusion: President Marcos and Senator Imee Marcos cannot fire the Senate President on a whim, or anyone under the government's legislative branch. While Imee Marcos is a senator, she alone has no authority to order Zubiri to step down; all senators must make this decision. 


YouTube Channel Pinas News Insider posted a video titled “JUST NOW: Hala! Senado di-makapaniwala sa biglaang utos ni Sen Imee Pres BBM nasampulan si Zubiri” with more than 95,000 views and over 1,000 likes. The video implies that there will be a shift in leadership, with a new senator replacing Zubiri.
 
The claims made are FALSE. 

The audio clip used in the video was from an episode of Harry Roque’s YouTube show, The Spox Hour, live-streamed on March 12, 2023. Roque stated that Zubiri himself made it clear that the claims of his stepping down as Senate President were untrue.
 
“Pero judging (sa) ma-hang-hang na salita ni Senator Imee Marcos, eh syempre, kapatid yan ng presidente yun. Kahit na sabihin natin na marami silang pagkaka-iba pag-iisip, eh kapatid pa rin ng presidente yun 'no. Mahirap banggain 'di ba? So, tingin ko eh baka nga magkaroon ng pagbabago sa liderato senado.” Roque remarked.

However, Sen. Imee Marcos and Pres. Marcos have not issued any orders or public statements. No other supporting evidence was presented in the video.
 
Sen. Zubiri’s removal has already been speculated twice, specifically in March and June 2023. Yet, the senate president denied the allegations. Based on the article published by Politiko in March, Zubiri received a warning from Malacañang Palace because of his “supposed” slow approval of bills that were certified by the President as urgent. 

Aside from the senate president, Sen. Loren Legarda and Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva have debunked the claims, with Legarda commenting, “...We are in full support of Senate President Migz," and Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva calling the claims “baseless, preposterous, and malicious.” 

According to the 1987 Constitution, Zubiri can only be replaced if he violated any law, if he voluntarily resigned from his position, if his term ended, if he died, or if the Senate called for resignation by a majority vote.


Edited by Christine Gaile Dimatatac

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