A short video clip claiming that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said a Filipino worker “deserved” to be executed in Saudi Arabia is circulating online—but fact-checkers have confirmed the claim is false and misleading.
The viral Facebook reel, which has gained more than 376,000 views, was originally posted in April and resurfaced on June 27 following Vice President Sara Duterte’s criticism of the government’s overseas labor policies. The 12-second clip features a spliced segment of Marcos’ remarks from an Oct. 9, 2024, UNTV Hataw Balita Ngayon episode, along with text that falsely attributes the quote, “the judgement of hanging was actually deserved!” to the president.
However, according to fact-checking group VERA Files, the full interview shows that Marcos was describing the Saudi government’s lengthy legal process and insistence that the capital punishment had been thoroughly reviewed—not endorsing it.
“We tried everything, and for many many years,” Marcos said in the original footage. “And the Saudi government really tried to look and to be sure that the judgement of hanging was actually deserved. Nonetheless, we appealed to the better nature of our friends in Saudi Arabia… Unfortunately, the law there is very strict.”
The Filipino worker, who had been on death row since 2020 for killing a Saudi national in what the Department of Foreign Affairs said was a self-defense case, was executed without prior notice to the Philippine Embassy or the family—reportedly in line with Saudi protocols.
The misleading clip, overlaid with dramatic sound effects and captions, continues to circulate online, but official sources and verified transcripts disprove the claim that Marcos justified or supported the execution.
