FACT CHECK: Princess Abante not replaced by Antonio Bucoy as House spokesperson

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The two have distinct roles: Abante is House spokesperson, while Bucoy is the spokesperson of the House prosecution panel in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial

Claim: Princess Abante was replaced by lawyer Antonio Bucoy as spokesperson of the House of Representatives. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim can be found in some YouTube videos and Facebook posts. 

One such YouTube video is from the channel “PH Update.” Its June 17 video, which has 20,402 views and 170 comments as of writing, is titled: “Princess Abante sinibak na? Atty Bucoy bagong spokeperson ng Kongreso hinahamon si Chiz Escudero!”

(Princess Abante fired? Atty Bucoy is the new Congress spokesperson challenging Chiz Escudero!)

A June 18 Facebook post from former broadcaster Jay Sonza states: “Anong nangyari kay Atty. Princess Abante, iyong anak ni dating congressman Benny Abante, na kinuhang tagapagsalita ni Speaker Romualdez? Bakit bigla-bigla ay pinalitan siya ng isang bagong tao na humarap sa isang pulong balitaan bilang tagatahol ni Speaker Martin at ng House of Representatives of the 19th Congress?”

(What happened to Atty. Princess Abante, daughter of former congressman Benny Abante, who was appointed spokesperson of Speaker Romualdez? Why was she suddenly replaced by a new person to appear in a press conference as a spokesperson of Speaker Martin and of the House of Representatives of the 19th Congress?)

The facts: Abante remains the spokesperson of the House of Representatives. Bucoy, meanwhile, is the spokesman of the prosecution panel in the upcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Abante, daughter of outgoing Manila 6th District Representative Bienvenido “Benny” Abante, was appointed to the role in May, marking the first time the lower chamber has designated an official spokesperson. (READ: Meet Princess Abante, the new House spokesperson)

Abante has taken up several roles in public office, serving as a three-term councilor of Manila’s 6th District from 2013 to 2022 and as commissioner-at-large of the National Youth Commission from 2005 to 2009. She was a youth spokesperson in the 2022 presidential campaign of then-Manila mayor Isko Moreno. Abante was also designated as spokesperson and head of communication of the Manila local government.

Spokesman of prosecutors: Bucoy was appointed to a distinct role: as spokesperson of the House prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The litigation lawyer made his appearance before the media on June 17, where he criticized the Senate impeachment court as the Vice President’s trial remains in limbo with the impeachment articles remanded to the House of Representatives. (READ: 6 key quotes from Antonio Bucoy’s first day as House impeachment spokesperson)

Bucoy is the managing partner of law firm Bucoy Poblador & Associates, which handles mainly intellectual property cases along with other areas of law. He is also a member of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) and Movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity and Nationalism (MABINI), where he handled human rights cases. Bucoy said that he took on the role of House prosecution spokesperson “for free.” (READ: Who is Antonio Bucoy, spokesman of prosecutors for Sara’s impeachment trial?)

Previous fact-checks: Rappler has published numerous fact-checks on Duterte’s impeachment, as well as fact-checks of false claims from Sonza. – Percival Bueser/Rappler.com 

Percival Bueser is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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