FACT CHECK: Jonvic Remulla remains DILG chief

Jonvic Remulla was not removed from his post; he remains as the Interior secretary, according to the DILG's official website DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla has not been removed from office, contrary to claims circulating on social media. The false post stemmed from Remulla’s earlier claim that Roque’s application for asylum had been denied. Malacañang stated that while Remulla may face scrutiny for his previous statements, there are no plans for his dismissal. This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors. Claim: Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla has been removed from office. Rating: FALSE Why we fact-checked this: A Facebook reel bearing the said claim has already received 239,000 views, 8,800 reactions, 1,000 shares, and 491 comments as of this posting. It was posted on September 20 and continues to gain traction up to this date. It shows photos of Remulla, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, and vlogger Claire Contreras. The text on the video says, “LIGWAK SI JONVIC REMULLA! SIBAK SA PUWESTO?! BOYING ISUSUNOD NA? (Jonvic Remulla out! Dismissed from his post?! Is Boying next?)” At 1:30 timestamp of the reel, it cites the statement of vlogger Contreras to support its claim: “So, unahin na natin na binoldyak (sinita) ni bangag si Jonvic dahil nga ang daldal dahil nga nabuking o binuking niya yung plano talaga nilang pagdukot kay Harry Roque, kay Spox Harry at saka siyempre kay Zaldy Co.” (So, let’s start with the fact that “Bangag” called out Jonvic for talking too much, specifically because he exposed their actual plan to abduct Harry Roque, Spox Harry, and, of course, Zaldy Co.) The facts: Remulla was not removed from his post. He remains as the DILG secretary, according to the department’s official website. There are also no official announcements from Malacañang or credible news reports that can support the claim. The false post stemmed from Remulla’s earlier claim that Roque’s application for asylum had been denied. It was eventually denied by Roque saying that, “My application for asylum has been submitted for resolution, and I continue to await the official decision of the competent Austrian asylum authorities.” Roque also claimed that Remulla’s statement was part of a “sinister plan,” adding that this may be conditioning the public for a possible attempt to abduct him. Remulla then admitted errors on his previous claims about Roque’s asylum bid. He said, “In his case, it’s neither denied nor accepted. So under the eyes of the law, he still does not have asylum.” Malacañang’s response: The Palace said Remulla might be called out over his incorrect asylum claim, but they still need to identify whether the Interior secretary made the statement in good or bad faith. “Kung inamin naman po niyang siya ay nagkamali at hindi naman ipinapalagay na ito’y sinadya para ilihis ang kaisipan ng ating mga kababayan, maaaring ma-call out ang mga sinabing ito ng Secretary Jonvic. Pero tingnan po din natin kung ito ba ay sinadya o may bad faith,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said. (If he has admitted to making a mistake and assuming it wasn’t intended to mislead the public, then Secretary Jonvic’s statements could certainly be called out. However, we should also examine whether it was intentional or done in bad faith.) Remulla also faced previous criticisms about his class suspension announcements but Marcos defended the Interior secretary and clarified that he will not be removed from office. Previous fact checks: Rappler has previously fact-checked similar false claims about public officials’ dismissal: FACT CHECK: Hontiveros, Romualdez not removed from office FACT CHECK: Ombudsman Remulla still in office, not dismissed by Supreme Court FACT CHECK: Bato dela Rosa not removed from Senate FACT CHECK: Padilla not ‘kicked out’ of Senate FACT CHECK: Congress did not remove Sara Duterte as VP FACT CHECK: Marcos remains president; no transfer of power to Sara Duterte – Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024. 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. How does this make you feel? Loading