FACT CHECK: Jonvic Remulla did not say Marcoses are ‘sure to be jailed’ after 2028

There is no credible record showing the interior secretary saying that the Marcoses are afraid of a member of the Duterte family assuming the presidency in 2028

AT A GLANCE

• DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla did not make the statement claiming President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his son would be jailed if a Duterte family member becomes president in 2028.
• The viral graphic attributing the quote to Remulla lacks credible evidence.
• Remulla's public remarks regarding the 2028 elections do not align with the quote in the viral posts.

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Claim: Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his son, House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, would be jailed if a member of the Duterte family becomes president in 2028.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A viral quote card features Remulla’s photo and attributes a supposed September 19, 2026 statement to the interior secretary: “Pag hindi na presidente si BBM Marcos [sigurado] makukulong sila kasama si Cong Sandro Marcos kaya takot sila pag pamilya Duterte umupo presidente sa 2028. Ako marami ako alam sa kalokohan ni presidente.”

(If [Bongbong Marcos] is no longer president, they will surely be imprisoned, including Cong. Sandro Marcos. That’s why they are afraid of having a member of the Duterte family assume the presidency in 2028. I know a lot about the President’s wrongdoings.)

The graphic was posted by two Facebook users with over 17,000 followers each. One of the posts received 3,400 reactions, 464 comments, and 995 shares, while the other had 4,100 reactions, 457 comments, and 921 shares.

On TikTok, the account “byahevlog tv” also shared the same graphic, which garnered 21,900 views, 190 reactions, 62 comments, and 31 shares as of writing.

The facts: There is no credible evidence that Remulla made the statement attributed to him.

A search of credible news reports and publicly available government records found no interview, press briefing, speech, official statement, or social media post in which Remulla said the President and his son, Sandro, would be jailed if a Duterte family member becomes president in 2028.

The graphic is dated September 19, 2026, but the posts carrying it were published on September 21 and 22. Neither post identifies where or when Remulla allegedly made the statement, and neither provides a video, interview, transcript, speech, or news report showing him making the remark.

On September 19, Remulla spoke about the Banga National High School shooting in South Cotabato, which occurred the previous day. He discussed the shooter’s alleged involvement in the “deep dark web,” the firearm used in the attack, and possible government measures following the incident. None of his documented remarks that day contains the statement circulating in the viral graphic.

Remulla on the 2028 elections: Remulla has made public remarks about the 2028 presidential race, but none of his statements match the quote in the viral posts.

In March 2026, Remulla was asked who could challenge the 2028 presidency bid of Vice President Sara Duterte. He named Senators Bam Aquino, Risa Hontiveros and Raffy Tulfo, as well as former vice president and Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo, while declining to answer whether he would personally run. Remulla later said he was undecided about his plans, but was inclined to run for a local seat in Cavite. – Vic Albert Bagaan/Rappler.com

Vic Albert Bagaan is a petroleum engineering student at Palawan State University in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. The editor-in-chief of Pioneer Publication, he is an Aries Rufo Fellow for 2026.

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