FACT CHECK: Marcos Jr. did not say protecting VP Duterte from her case is ‘corruption’

Already have Rappler+? Sign in to listen to groundbreaking journalism. Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he could not be blamed for Sara Duterte’s legal troubles, that he could not protect her from her case, and that if a president did so, “corruption” would be the result. Why we fact-checked this: A viral Facebook graphic posted by Senior Rak Joe, a Facebook page with around 15,000 followers, attributes a statement to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. It claims that Marcos made the statement on September 13, 2026, amid his remarks about Vice President Sara Duterte. It had garnered around 102,000 views as of October 5, 2026.