The Presidential Palace has strongly rebuked former President Rodrigo Duterte over his claims that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is planning to declare martial law to extend his time in power. Malacañang dismissed these allegations as baseless, with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin calling Duterte a “one-man fake news factory.”

“This hoax is another budol emerging from a one-man fake news factory,” Bersamin said, using the term “budol,” which refers to deception or a scam.

Duterte made the remarks during a rally in Mandaue City, where he warned that Marcos Jr. could follow in the footsteps of his late father, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who placed the country under martial law in 1972. The former president claimed, “I bet he will not step down after his term. It will be just like his father’s time. He will impose martial law.”

Bersamin, however, refuted these statements, assuring the public that the administration remains committed to democracy and the rule of law.

“As our actions have consistently demonstrated, we will stay the course in upholding the Constitution, in adhering to the rule of law, and in respecting the rights of the people,” he said.

The Palace also took the opportunity to criticize the previous administration’s track record, particularly on human rights violations and political suppression. Bersamin accused Duterte’s leadership of persecuting critics and encouraging extrajudicial killings, saying, “We will not backslide into the oppressive ways of the previous administration, when critics were jailed on trumped-up charges and when kill orders were publicly issued with glee and obeyed blindly.”

This latest exchange highlights the growing tensions between the Marcos and Duterte camps, with both sides engaging in public disputes over governance. As the political climate continues to heat up, Malacañang has urged the public to be vigilant against misinformation and to rely on verified sources for credible news.