Fact check: Marcos did not fetch Teves at the airport
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. did not fetch Rep. Arnold Teves Jr. (Negros Oriental, 3rd District) at an airport in the Philippines, and the lawmaker has yet to return to the Philippines, contrary to a claim made on a YouTube channel.
CLAIM: Marcos fetched Teves at an airport in the Philippines after the president assured the lawmaker his protection upon arrival, according to a video by YouTube channel “PINAS TRENDING NOW TV.”
RATING: This is false.
FACTS:
What the video says
Youtube channel “PINAS TRENDING NOW TV” uploaded a video on Thursday bearing a thumbnail with the false claim that Marcos met Teves upon his return to the Philippines.
The video thumbnail includes the following text: “NASA PILIPINAS NA (In the Philippines now),” “MARCOS SINUNDO SI TEVES SA AIRPORT (Marcos fetched Teves at an airport)” and “SAWAKAS! LIGTAS NAKA-UWI (Finally! Returned home safely).”
What the video left out
Teves has yet to announce his return to the Philippines, whether personally or through his legal representatives. He was initially in the United States where the House had granted him travel authority to visit, but is now believed to be somewhere in Southeast Asia.
Marcos has also not made any announcement about fetching Teves from an airport.
The video thumbnail also used an outdated 2022 picture of Marcos arriving at the Bacolod - Silay Airport to attend the Masskara Festival. The picture was originally used in an article by People’s Television Network on Oct. 23, 2022 with the headline, “PBBM hails Bacolod City for holding most successful Masskara Festival.”
A Facebook post by Silay City Mayor Joedith Gallego on the same day also shows pictures of Marcos arriving at the Bacolod-Silay Airport taken from different angles.
Essential context
The president issued a statement this week urging the lawmaker to return to the country and face allegations of his involvement in the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo.
Teves has been abroad since February 28. He has refused to return to the country despite the expiry of his travel authority on March 9, defying orders from the House of Representatives to face its ethics and privileges committee.
The House suspended Teves for 60 days on Wednesday for exhibiting “disorderly behavior” in choosing to remain on unauthorized absence.
Teves, who denies any links to the killing of Degamo, has said through personal statements and through his legal representatives that he fears for his and his family’s safety if he returns to the country.
Why does this matter
The Youtube video has earned around 9,000 views since being posted on Thursday.
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