FACT CHECK: ‘Leaked’ memo about plans to replace Romualdez as House Speaker is fake

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Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin says the circulating memorandum is fake and 'blatant attempt to spread disinformation and sow division' in Marcos administration candidates

Claim: A supposed memorandum from Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin addressed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was “leaked,” revealing plans to replace Martin Romauldez as House Speaker.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The post by “DUTERTE Media” Facebook page has been shared 43 times, with 104 reactions and 15 comments, as of writing.

The caption of the Facebook post caption reads, “Leaked Memo: Marcos Admin in Panic Mode After Duterte Arrest Backfire?”

The supposed confidential memo which was also shared by the Facebook page of Ka Eric Jeff Celiz — allegedly from the Office of the Executive Secretary — reveals concern pertaining to the Bagong Pilipinas administration regarding rapidly declining approval and trust ratings of Marcos, following the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte. It was shared on April 29, a few days before the elections.

The memorandum said that Marcos is considering placing Tiangco as “Speaker candidate.” It further claimed that Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said corruption is rampant under the leadership of Romualdez.

The purported memorandum also outlines the results of a Laylo poll presented to Marcos and top officials, which reportedly showed a significant dip in support not just for the President, but also for allied candidates under the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas slate. The report admitted that the political landscape has drastically shifted, and that critics of Duterte’s arrest have ‘”severely undermined” the administration’s position.

The facts: The circulating memorandum to the President from the Executive Secretary regarding the declining approval ratings of the Marcos administration and the change in leadership in the House of Representatives is not authentic, according to a statement by the Office of the Executive Secretary released on April 30.

“The spurious memorandum is a blatant attempt to spread disinformation and to sow division in the ranks of the administration candidates. It should be dismissed as the handiwork of malicious minds,” the statement read. 

The supposed memorandum was originally posted by red-tagger and SMNI host Jeffrey Celiz’ Facebook page. In late 2024, Celiz lost a civil case filed by journalist Atom Araullo. Along with fellow SMNI host Lorraine Badoy, he was ordered to pay Araullo P2.080 million in damages and lawyers’ fees to compensate for “the red-tagging and its effects on [Araullo’s] personal life and on his career as a journalist.”

No power: The authority to elect or replace a sitting House Speaker lies with the House of Representatives.

Article VI, Section 16 of the 1987 Constitution clearly states that the House Speaker is elected “by a majority vote of all its respective Members.” The Rules of the 19th Congress also contain the same provisions.

No resolution seeking to oust Romualdez from office has been filed in the House of Representatives in the past months.

Both Rappler and VERA Files have previously flagged similar claims about Romualdez’s supposed removal as House speaker. – Laurice Angeles/Rappler.com

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