Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and ex-President Rodrigo Duterte —Malacañang file photo
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Sunday dismissed the latest tirades hurled by former President Rodrigo Duterte that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is “veering toward dictatorship,” calling it another “hoax emerging from a one-man fake news factory.”
In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin called Duterte’s allegations “baseless and ridiculous statements.”
“This hoax is another budol emerging from a one-man fake news factory,” he said.
“Budol” is a Filipino slang term derived from “budol-budol,” a type of scam or deception where victims are tricked into giving away their money or valuables, often through psychological manipulation or hypnosis.
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Bersamin issued the statement in reaction to fresh criticisms from Duterte, who said Marcos is set to mimic his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., by declaring martial law to stay in power.
“I bet he will not step down after his term. It will be just like his father’s time. He will impose martial law, just like the father did, and our country will fall into chaos,” he said at an “indignation” rally in Mandaue City on Saturday.
“Elections cannot happen in the event of martial law,” Duterte added.
‘Prone to lying’
But Malacañang swept the former president’s tirades aside, expressing confidence that the Filipinos had already grown dismissive of his pronouncements.
“We treat the former president’s baseless and ridiculous statements in the same way that Filipinos are dismissive of them: a tall tale from a man prone to lying and to inventing hoaxes,” Bersamin noted.
He went on to dispute Duterte’s prediction that the Marcos administration was poised to declare martial law.
“As our actions have consistently demonstrated, we will stay the course in upholding the Constitution, in adhering to the rule of law, and in respecting the rights of the people,” he emphasized.
Bersamin referenced the Duterte administration’s record of alleged human rights violations during its bloody “war on drugs” campaign and the supposed persecution of its critics.
“We will not backslide into the oppressive ways of the previous administration, when critics were jailed on trumped-up charges and when kill orders were publicly issued with glee and obeyed blindly,” he said.
Using the words used by the former president, Bersamin said it was Duterte who was “veering” the country toward its “troubled past.”
“It is the leader of that troubled past who is depicting us as veering toward a system where anyone can be deprived of life, liberty, and property without due process of law, as many had been on his mere say-so as a tyrant who did not respect the rights of the people,” he said.
Unfulfilled promises
Duterte also claimed that the President’s leadership was riddled with secrets and unfulfilled promises.
The rally was organized by his supporters in Cebu, who are against the impeachment move on Vice President Sara Duterte, who was not at the event attended by around 2,000 to 3,000 individuals, according to the Mandaue City police.
Among those present during the rally were dismissed Mayors Jonas Cortes of Mandaue City and Michael Rama of Cebu City and former Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza.
In his speech, Duterte also lashed out at Marcos for allegedly stealing the country’s gold reserves.
“That is why I am very angry. Marcos stole our gold reserves and now there are only [a] few left. How can our economy stand in the future? One day, we will realize we no longer have backup for our money,” he said in Cebuano. However, he did not say where he got this information.
Duterte likewise hit Marcos for not fulfilling his campaign promise to bring down the prices of rice and claimed that the proliferation of illegal drugs resumed during his administration.
Negative campaigning
While mudslinging during campaigns is allowed, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) earlier urged candidates and their supporters to keep their words in political rallies classy.
The poll body’s advice came after the exchange of negative propaganda between the Marcos and Duterte camps as the three-month campaign period for national candidates started this month.
“Negative campaigning is allowed under the law,” Comelec Chair George Garcia said in a radio interview. “But they may be liable for other laws, including libel or cyberlibel.”
Republic Act No. 9006, or the Fair Elections Act, as reiterated by Comelec Resolution No. 11086 for the 2025 midterm elections, expressly allows the publication or broadcast of political advertisements or propaganda both for and against any candidate or political party.
According to Garcia, based on their monitoring, it was not the candidates themselves but their supporters who were hurling “harsh” and “unacceptable” accusations against each other’s political opponents.
“The senatorial candidates are careful because they know that they are now under the Comelec’s jurisdiction. We told them to avoid delivering spicy speeches during political rallies, as these are not the perfect venue[s] for them. They should remain respectful and classy in their campaigns,” the poll chief explained.
Freedom of expression
But Garcia conceded that the tirades of President Marcos and former President Duterte were not within the purview of the Comelec as these are part of their right to freedom of expression.
“They are similar to an ordinary citizen who expresses their support or opposition to a candidate. However, they can be held liable for other cases or be investigated by other government agencies,” he said.
“For the Comelec, we have almost no jurisdiction over the actions or words of the supporters of candidates, except when we are talking about the supporters using prohibited illegal campaign materials, or posting campaign materials in unauthorized places,” Garcia added.