FACT CHECK: Remulla denies statement urging the public to ‘move on’ from flood control controversies

2026-03-20 - 03:01

Claim: Secretary of Interior and Local Government Jonvic Remulla urged Filipinos to move past the flood control corruption controversy as the dry summer season approaches, calling on the public to focus instead on the health risks posed by counterfeit cigarettes. Rating: FALSE Why we fact-checked this: Several versions of a quote card containing the claim have been circulating on Facebook and Instagram over the past month. The most popular post was published on February 20, and has since garnered over 431,000 reactions, 53,700 comments, and 22,000 shares. It has also continued to circulated over a month later, with users posting new comments as recently as March 20. The viral quote card contains the text: “Move on na tayo sa flood control na yan, papasok na ang summer wala ng tag-ulan. Mas importanteng tutukan itong mga pekeng sigarilyo dahil masama ito sa kalusugan.” (Let’s move on from that flood control issue. Summer is approaching and the rainy season is over. It’s more important to focus on these fake cigarettes because they are bad for our health). It was posted by a Facebook page named “Ikulong na yan Mga Kurakot (Jail the Corrupt),” with over 405,000 followers. The page has also repeatedly posted about Remulla in the past. The facts: Remulla confirmed to Rappler in a March 18 email that he did not issue any statement urging the public to move on from the flood control controversies and focus on the counterfeit cigarettes issue instead. “That’s totally false. Nothing will stop this admin from pursuing the flood control conspirators. Nothing. I never said that,” Remulla said. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) also issued a statement on February 22, condemning