FACT CHECK: No Marcos order for Ted Failon to leave the country

Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered news anchor Ted Failon to leave the Philippines.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim was made in the title and thumbnail of a YouTube video posted on August 20 which has 90,000 views, 4,100 likes, and 813 comments as of writing. The channel that posted the video has 746,000 subscribers and has been fact-checked by Rappler multiple times.

The video’s title reads: “KAKAPASOK LANG Grabe to! Walang KAWALA si TED FAlLON sa UTOS PBBM VPSARA mga DlLAWANG MEDIA NATAMEME”

(Just in, unbelievable! Ted Failon has no escape from the orders of PBBM, VPSARA. The yellow media are silenced.)

The video thumbnail also shows pictures of Marcos and Failon with the text, “Pinalayas sa Pilipinas. Ito ang matinding utos ng Pangulo” (Expelled from the Philippines. This is the President’s strict command.)

No statement: There have been no official statements issued on Marcos’ Facebook or Twitter accounts, nor on Radio Television (RTV) Malacañang or the Office of the President, regarding any supposed directive expelling Failon from the Philippines over his alleged disrespect shown towards the President. Instead, the video primarily featured remarks from online users, passionately urging Marcos to address the journalist’s perceived affront towards him.

These reactions were sparked by Failon’s remarks in his radio show, “Ted Failon at DJ Cha Cha sa Radyo Singko” in January 2022, where he discussed presidential candidates and the disclosure of their Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN). 

Failon said: “Sino ang maglalakas-loob na manira sa ‘yo o mag-blackmail sa ‘yo gamit ang SALN? Kung totoo ang mga naka-deklara sa iyong SALN, o takot ka dahil ang tinatamasa mo at ng inyong pamilyang marangyang pamumuhay ay bunga ng inyong pagnanakaw sa pera ng bayan.”

(Who would dare harm you or blackmail you using your SALN? If the declarations in your SALN are true, or are you afraid because the luxurious lifestyle you and your family are enjoying is the result of your stealing public funds?)

While Failon did not name Marcos, the segment was focused on the then-presidential candidate’s refusal to release his SALN.

Online disinformation against journalists: Aside from Failon, journalists like GMA newscaster Mel Tiangco and ABS-CBN’s Karen Davila had previously been subjected to this type of online disinformation. 

Tiangco was supposedly ordered to leave the country after allegedly saying something interpreted as a sign of disrespect towards Marcos.

Meanwhile, the supposed order against Davila was prompted by a statement that supposedly implied she would migrate if Marcos won the presidential election. The journalist, however, never made such a statement. – Jezreel Ines/Rappler.com

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