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In a statement, the Supreme Court denies the authenticity of a document that claims the High Tribunal received a petition with 16 million signatures calling for Marcos' resignation
Claim: The Supreme Court (SC) released an official document acknowledging receipt of a petition on a signature campaign calling for the resignation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: A Facebook page with 4,000 followers named “Choose Libungan” posted the claim on March 16. It also shared an image of the alleged document titled “Supreme Court Receives Petition on 16 Million Signatures Calling for President Marcos’ Resignation,” which bore the letterhead of the office of the SC spokesperson.
According to the document, the SC received the petition filed by concerned citizens and civic groups on March 16. On March 17, the SC En Banc allegedly resolved to “acknowledge and docket the petition for further review and consolidation” and to “require the Office of the President and relevant government agencies to submit a comment.”
It also claimed that the petition could be accessed through the Public Pleadings section of the SC website.
As of writing, the post has garnered 6,000 reactions, 17 comments, and 14,000 shares. It continues to circulate online through reposts on various Facebook accounts and pages.
The facts: In a statement on Monday, March 17, the SC debunked the fake posts.
“We categorically deny the authenticity of this document. No such statement has been issued by the Supreme Court Spokesperson,” it wrote.
The High Court also said that no En Banc session had been scheduled on March 17 to discuss the said petition.
Furthermore, no copy of the petition or related pleadings can be found in the SC website’s Public Pleadings section.
“These acts of disinformation, including previous false reports on March 11, 2025, alleging that the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order, will be submitted for appropriate action. The Supreme Court will investigate these incidents and take necessary measures, including the imposition of proper sanctions on those responsible,” the High Court added. (READ: Cornered, Dutertes turned to fake TRO to try and stop plane to ICC)
Source of the claim: The Facebook page that posted the claim has a history of posting content criticizing Marcos and expressing support for former president Rodrigo Duterte.
The false post surfaced following the March 11 arrest of Duterte over crimes against humanity in relation to his administration’s drug war that killed close to 30,000 people, as well as the extrajudicial killings in Davao City when he was mayor.
Duterte’s supporters have pointed fingers at the Marcos administration, with Senator Ronald dela Rosa openly criticizing the President for cooperating with Interpol to facilitate Duterte’s arrest. Marcos, meanwhile, earlier said that the government was just “doing its job.” – Lyndee Buenagua/Rappler.com
Lyndee Buenagua is a third year student journalist based in Baguio and an alumna of Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
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