Prominent Filipino lawyer and activist Jesus Falcis has strongly condemned the spread of what he calls “the most viral fake news of 2025.” The misinformation, propagated by DDS blogger Jun Abines and former President Rodrigo Duterte, alleges that the 2025 Philippine national budget contains blank spaces, which Falcis categorically debunked as false.
In a fiery Facebook post, Falcis highlighted the dangerous implications of the viral claim, which has amassed over 200,000 likes and 150,000 shares. He urged legal action against those spreading the falsehoods, stating, “DDS blogger Jun Abines and ex-President Du30 should be prosecuted for fake news under the Revised Penal Code’s section on false publications and/or false utterances.”
Falcis, known for his advocacy on human rights and his landmark petition to challenge restrictions on same-sex marriage in the Philippines, personally reviewed the 2025 budget through the Department of Budget and Management’s website. He found no evidence supporting the allegations. “I looked at the 2025 Budget sa website ng Department of Budget and Management and I looked at the agencies na sinasabing may blank spaces or blank check at WALA AKO NAKITANG BLANK,” he emphasized.
Political motives behind the misinformation
Falcis criticized the Duterte camp, suggesting ulterior motives behind the fake news. He described the allegations as both “incredible but also believable,” given the Marcos family’s historical reputation for corruption. He accused Duterte of leveraging this perception to further his own political agenda. “Duterte is really trying to stir propaganda against the Marcoses either to lay the basis for their ouster and/or ensure Sara Duterte will be in a winning position in 2028,” Falcis wrote.
He warned that if President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his allies fail to address the spread of misinformation, they risk facing the same fate as the Aquinos, whose legacies were tarnished by historical revisionism. “How ironic that the Marcoses who are beneficiaries and instigators of fake news and historical revisionism will also be victims of fake news… unless they actually do something about it.”
Falcis did not mince words in his recommendations, calling for decisive action from the Marcos administration. “Kasuhan ang mga DDS bloggers na nagkakalat ng fake news. Kasuhan at ikulong si Du30. That’s the only option for the Marcoses,” he declared, urging the administration to prosecute those responsible for spreading false information.
The controversy comes as government officials, including Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and President Marcos himself, have publicly dismissed the claims as baseless. Bersamin emphasized the rigorous review process for the 2025 budget, stating, “It is impossible for any funding items to be left blank, as alleged by misinformed and malicious sources.”
The broader impact of misinformation
Falcis also expressed concern about the broader impact of the fake news, particularly on ordinary citizens who may lack access to fact-checking resources. “It’s easy to debunk by people in government and people who know how to fact-check—but what about the people who just like clicking online and are mindless DDS zombies?” he questioned.
