FACT CHECK: DILG’s Remulla not resigning from Marcos Cabinet over flood control mess

2026-01-27 - 07:35

Claim: Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla has resigned from the Marcos Cabinet after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was implicated in the flood control scandal. Rating: FALSE Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube video uploaded on January 20 bears the title “Finish na! Karma is real? Sobrang kahihiyan ang inabot ng Palasyo? Bumitaw si Jonvic; kulong si JR?” (It’s finished! Karma is real? The Palace was utterly humiliated. Jonvic has withdrawn; JR to be jailed?) Its thumbnail, which shows several politicians and Remulla supposedly holding up a document, includes the text “Jonvic bumitaw na? Iniwan na ang Palasyo, tinabla si Bongbong. Iyak dito ang Palasyo?” (Jonvic gave up already? Left the palace, abandoned Bongbong. The Palace is crying about this?) The video’s narration begins with the claim that Cabinet members are leaving the Marcos administration one by one, and that Remulla has resigned and abandoned the President. The narrator further cites Remulla as saying that he would arrest anyone tagged in the anomalous flood control projects without political bias, implying that Marcos may be among them after former lawmaker Zaldy Co implicated the President in the flood control scandal. As of writing, the video has garnered over 40,000 views, 2,000 likes, and 194 comments. The facts: Remulla has not resigned from the Marcos Cabinet. He remains the current DILG chief, as reflected on the department’s official website. The interior secretary has also not expressed any withdrawal of support from the President, contrary to the claim. In a press briefing on January 13, Remulla said Marcos is working to strengthen local governments to restore the public’s trust following revelations of the alleged anomalies in the government’s flood control projects. “Ngayon na nakita natin kung ano ang depekto ng ating budget, ang depekto ng ating gobyerno, ginagawa lahat ng ating Pangulo para pumarehas ang laban — tinatama niya ang mali sa DPWH, tinatama niya ang mali sa national government at pinapalakas niya ang lokal na gobyerno,” he said. (Now that we have seen what is wrong with our budget, what is wrong with our government, our President is doing everything to level the playing field — he is correcting the wrongs in the [Department of Public Works and Highways] DPWH, he is correcting the wrongs in the national government and he is strengthening local government.) Earlier, the DILG chief revealed alleged attempts to bribe him and his brother, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, amid investigations into the flood control scandal. Malacañang said Marcos was not happy with the alleged reports, but expressed confidence in the Remullas. Co’s allegations: The video also links Marcos to the arrest warrants issued for Co and several others, seemingly implying that Remulla’s statements about enforcing these warrants are also a warning to the President, whom Co implicated in the controversy. In November 2025, Co released several video statements alleging that Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez directed around P100 billion in budget insertions for flood control projects and received a total of P56 billion in kickbacks. He also claimed that he personally delivered P1 billion in cash to an intermediary for Marcos in December 2024. Marcos has rejected the allegations, saying they carry little weight unless made under oath in the Philippines. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro likewise dismissed the claims as “lies,” saying they were unsupported by evidence. By late December 2025, 10 individuals had been jailed in connection with the flood control cases, while Co and several others remain at large. (READ: TRACKER: Contractors and government officials jailed over flood control corruption) The most recent high-profile arrest was Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., who surrendered last January 19 on charges over a P92.8-million ghost flood control project in Bulacan. – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated with a degree in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 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.