“She should fire her staffer who gave her that information,” the President said, referring to her sister’s claim that his administration is pushing for Charter change to remain in power.
TOKYO – The claim that the administration is pushing for Charter change to remain in power is a “perfect example” of fake news, President Marcos said on Friday, May 29, as he warned against the negative impact of the allegation, which came from his estranged elder sister Sen. Imee Marcos.
“I don’t know. She should fire her staffer who gave her that information,” Marcos told reporters here when asked about the supposed plot to amend the Constitution to extend the terms of incumbent officials.
“Fake news hurts everyone. Not only those that fake news (is) attacking, but also those who are purveying that fake news. The purveyors of fake news are also damaged by this kind of (information). So she should choose her sources of information better,” he added.
In a Facebook post, Imee fired back, saying it’s her brother who received the “fake news.”
“What reached him was fake news. It is clear from the video and my speech who was in the meeting, which the two senators admitted to being there. Did he (Marcos) hear his name? It’s he who should fire his staff,” she posted in Filipino.
Imee, an ally of administration arch critic Vice President Sara Duterte, recently claimed through a video presentation that the President and his allies in Congress are bent on amending the 1987 Constitution to prolong the terms of incumbent officials until 2031.
She also alleged that there are plans to amend the age requirement for those seeking the presidency and to cancel the 2028 elections.
Her critics say that Imee blew out of proportion a casual meeting between Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III and Speaker Bojie Dy about a possible amendment to lower the age requirement for President and increase the number of senators in the chamber.
Sotto said there was no “no-el” (no election) scenario discussed in that meeting, and that he did not agree to the Charter change proposals.
Minority senators have dismissed Imee’s claims as “propaganda.”
Before leaving for Japan last Tuesday, May 26, Marcos smirked when asked to react to his sister’s claims.
Marcos clarified that he has never discussed Charter change with anyone.
“The truth of the matter is we have never at any point even spoken about this anywhere with anyone at any time. So, I don’t know,” the Chief Executive said. – With an additional report from Marc Jayson Cayabyab