Senator Imee Marcos agreed to voluntarily withdraw a video she presented during a privilege speech Monday after the majority of her Senate colleagues condemned it as disinformation and moved to have it stricken from the official record.
The footage, which Marcos aired as part of her floor speech, alleged that certain lawmakers were engineering constitutional amendments through a Constitutional Assembly, seeking to push back the 2028 presidential elections, lower the minimum age for presidential candidates to 35, and extend the terms of current officials until 2031.
Several senators named or implicated in the video pushed back immediately. Former Senate President Vicente Sotto III denied any involvement in charter change discussions. “Sana tinanong nila ang source nila. Pumayag ba ako? Porke narinig mo, lalabas dito na para bang ako ay nakikiisa. I have nothing to do with the allegations on cha-cha,” he said.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, who was similarly cited, acknowledged sharing what he described as casual conversation with political analyst Lito Banayo but dismissed any suggestion of seriousness. “Wala seryoso sa pinag-uusapan so I shared.. Kuwentuhan lang ‘yun pero kung seryoso yun, hindi ko ikukuwento,” he said.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri led the push to remove the footage, calling it a “horrible propaganda” that misrepresented the position of senators who had already rejected People’s Initiative-backed charter change efforts. “When you come up with a propaganda tool like that hitting all of us, it makes us look like we are on the wrong side and on the side of the devil. We all have principles here, Madam President. Therefore, you can see my passion on this,” Zubiri said.
Under Senate rules on unparliamentary acts, Zubiri formally moved to strike the video, citing Sections 93, 94, and 95. “I move to strike that horrible propaganda video off the records of this great institution, Madam President,” he said.
Senator JV Ejercito framed the controversy as part of a broader problem. “Let us not allow this august institution to be used as a platform for disinformation. Fake news is already a serious problem in our country, one that continues to mislead the public, distort important issues, and erode trust in our institutions,” he said.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, also among those objecting, drew a distinction between the rights afforded by a privilege speech and the standard for official records. “Hindi ako sensitibo sa puna, sanay ako diyan. Pero ang pinakita po na video ay fake news. Hindi ko yan pwedeng hayaan na nandyan na lang unchallenged. Delivering a privilege speech is not the same as having the privilege to have fake news entered in the official records as if it were evidence,” she said.
Senator Raffy Tulfo dismissed the contents as “hao siao” — a term connoting fabrication — and urged colleagues to keep the plenary free of conspiracy theories. Senator Kiko Pangilinan seconded the motion to strike the record, stating that “disinformation has no place in this chamber.”
Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano intervened, appealing to Marcos to pull the video herself. She agreed, but attached a condition: “Sana kapalit niyan ipangako natin lahat sa ating taumbayan na walang term extension na mangyayari at may election sa 2028.”
In her privilege speech, Marcos had framed the alleged maneuvers as a betrayal of public priorities. “Impeachment, no elections, term extension. Ito ang inaatupag ng ilang mambabatas na nagiging mambubutas ng sikmura ng taumbayan,” she said.
Zubiri subsequently withdrew his formal motion after Marcos consented to the voluntary removal.
