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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
Claim: Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero has died.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The claim was made in an August 14 YouTube video by a channel with almost 66,000 subscribers. As of writing, the misleading video has 32,196 views, 1,000 likes, and 150 comments.
The video’s thumbnail showed a grayscale image of Escudero, suggesting he had died. It also included photos of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Vice President Sara Duterte, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and Escudero’s wife, Heart Evangelista, who appears to be in mourning.
These images were accompanied by a text and title that read, “Jusko paalam na! Heart nabigla sa balitang ito” (Oh my, goodbye! Heart was shocked by this news). “Kapapasok lang: Grabe to! Matindi ang sinapit Escudero. Kumpermado na! Heart na-iyak sa nabalitaan” (Just in: This is intense! Grave end for Escudero. Confirmed! Heart was in tears upon hearing the news).
The facts: Escudero is alive. The most recent posts on his official and verified Facebook and Instagram pages, made on Tuesday, August 20, show him posing for photos with two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo and bronze medalists Aira Villegas and Nesthy Petecio, who were awarded the Medal of Excellence on August 19 for their achievement at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
There are also no reports from the Senate of the Philippines or any reliable news sites that confirm the claim.
The video also did not provide evidence to back up its claim. Instead, it merely showed commentary from a blogger regarding Evangelista’s defense of Escudero following the public backlash over the Senate President’s holiday remarks.
In the original video uploaded on the YouTube channel Badong Aratiles Vlog, the narrator criticized Escudero for using his wife to cover up the negative reactions he faced for his statements about too many Philippine holidays.
Remarks on excessive holidays: The video targeting Escudero circulated following his announcement at a press briefing that the Senate had agreed to limit the approval of bills on local holidays to make the country more productive.
Escudero argued that the excessive number of holidays in the country, which amounts to more than a month, makes Philippine companies and workers “less competitive.”
“Di ba may holiday ang siyudad, may holiday ang munisipyo, may holiday ang probinsiya. May national holiday, may religious holiday. Which make us less competitive,” he continued.
(There are city holidays, municipal holidays, and provincial holidays. There are also national holidays and religious holidays, which make us less competitive.)
Escudero, however, later clarified that the Senate is not pushing to reduce the holidays in the country. “Walang issue sa holiday. Ang polisiya ng Senado, ‘wag nang dagdagan ang holiday natin ngayon kasi sobrang dami na pero wala kaming balak bawasan,” Escudero said in a media interview.
(There is no issue with the existing holidays. The Senate’s policy is not to add more holidays since there are already too many, but we have no plans to reduce them.)
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Escudero and VP Duterte: The misleading video also emerged amid the exchange between the Senate President and Duterte, who published a lengthy statement on August 7 criticizing, among others, the Philippines’ lack of a flood-control master plan.
On August 9, Escudero addressed Duterte’s comments, encouraging the Vice President to focus on addressing the country’s problems, given her capability to do so, rather than blaming others.
“The statements of Vice President Sara Duterte should not be surprising following her resignation from the Cabinet. What is perplexing is her questioning the absence of a flood masterplan two years into the administration of PBBM [President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.] after the previous administration had six years to develop one but was unable to do so,” Escudero added.
In response, the Vice President said that the former administration created the Master Plan and Feasibility Study for Flood Control and Drainage for Davao City in September 2016, which was published in July 2023. – Larry Chavez/Rappler.com
Larry Chavez is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
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