FACT CHECK: Marcos didn’t vow to stay in Palace till flood mess ends

Article 7 of the 1987 Constitution limits an elected president to a single six-year term with no eligibility for re-election

AT A GLANCE

• A claim that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not leave the Palace until the flood control scandal is resolved has been rated as false.
• No official statements confirm that Marcos made such a remark, and the Philippine Constitution limits a president to a single six-year term.
• Marcos has faced scrutiny over flood control issues but has not indicated plans to extend his term or resign, with ongoing investigations into corruption related to flood control.

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Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not leave the Palace until the flood control scandal is resolved.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: Viral Philippines, a Facebook page with 321,000 followers, posted a supposed quote card of Marcos dated October 24.

The quote read, “Hindi ako aalis sa Malacañang hangga’t hindi naaayos ang problema sa flood control.” (I will not leave Malacañang until the flood control problem is resolved.)

The page captioned it, “Forever na ito sa Malacañang.” (He’s here to stay in Malacañang forever)

The post garnered 23,700 reactions, 4,800 comments, and 522 shares as of writing. Commenters also believed the quote and questioned Marcos’ capability to address the flood control scandal.

The facts: No official records or statements confirm that Marcos made this remark. Nor is there any indication that he intends to remain in office beyond his term to resolve the flood control issue.

In addition, Article 7 of the 1987 Constitution limits an elected president to a single six-year term with no eligibility for reelection.

The President has faced scrutiny over the administration’s handling of the issue. In July, he dismissed calls for his resignation over allegations that the government’s response to flood control problems has been too slow.

He did not voice plans to extend his term; he instead said, “I cannot say that we have done enough because we are not done yet. Unfortunately, the more we look, the more we find. And it is already going back beyond my administration, beyond my term.”

In his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos announced that P800 million worth of assets out of P20 billion for flood control funds have been recovered since flagging them in his previous SONA.

In September, Marcos said that a decades-old flood control master plan for Luzon is finally being implemented. 

Flood control arrests: After the 2025 SONA, multiple investigations have resulted in the arrests of high-profile individuals linked to flood control corruption.

These include contractor Sarah Discaya, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, former Department of Public Works and Highways secretary Manuel Bonoan (released after being announced as turning into a state witness), and Congressman and Marcos’ cousin Martin Romualdez.

Meanwhile, former Ako Bicol representative Zaldy Co has been on the run and out of the country since 2025. He’s facing another graft and malversation case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in August, besides a similar case filed before the Sandiganbayan in November 2025.

Extending or stepping down: Rappler has debunked numerous false claims surrounding Marcos’ presidential term — either having to do with not stepping down or changing the Constitution to stay in office:

• FACT CHECK: Contrary to claim, Marcos has no plans to resign
• FACT CHECK: Marcos did not say he wants another 6-year presidential term
• FACT CHECK: ‘No 2028 election’ claim is ‘fake news,’ Malacañang says
• FACT CHECK: Marcos statement claiming to cancel 2028 election is taken out of context

– Eirene Manatlao/Rappler.com 

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