FACT CHECK: Claim of Congress under ‘martial law’ is false; video misuses term

Claim: The House of Representatives has been placed under martial law, causing disarray among its members.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The video containing the claim was posted on May 4, and has since garnered over 18,400 views, 1,100 likes, and 60 comments on YouTube.

Its thumbnail features the text: “May Martial Law sa Congress. Gulo-gulo na sila.”

(Martial law has been imposed on Congress. They are in total disarray.) 

The video’s caption also claims there is a plot to “destroy” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos in Congress.

The content was uploaded by the YouTube channel “JAY GUEVARRA TV,” which has over 505,000 subscribers and has been consistently posting pro-Duterte and anti-Marcos content.

The facts: The House of Representatives is not under martial law, and there is no such declaration from Malacañang. No reputable media organization or government agency has substantiated claims of a move to place the legislature or the country under military rule. (READ: Martial Law 101: Things you should know) 

Under Article VII, Section 18 of the  1987 Constitution, the President may place the country or any part of it under martial law “in case of invasion or rebellion, when the public safety requires it.” This declaration shall be affirmed by Congress, which has the power to revoke the proclamation by a vote of at least a majority of all members of both the Senate and the House.

The narrator in the video misuses the term “martial law” to imply a lack of integrity among the members of Congress, alleging that the Marcoses have orchestrated a supposed payoff scheme to secure votes from House members for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte. The video provides no evidence to support the claim of the supposed imposition of martial law or the allegations of bribery.

Duterte impeachment: The House of Representatives impeached Duterte for the second time on May 11 after 257 out of 318 lawmakers voted in favor of the committee report that found probable cause in the complaints against the Vice President. (READ: How did lawmakers vote on Sara Duterte’s second impeachment?)

Duterte’s impeachment complaints stemmed from allegations of betrayal of public trust, particularly regarding the misuse of confidential funds. (LIST: The 4 articles of impeachment vs VP Sara Duterte). 

In 2023, the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the alleged misuse of the Office of the Vice President’s P125-million confidential funds in 2022, which was reportedly spent in just 11 days. In April 2026, Duterte’s alleged former bagman, Ramil Madriaga, later claimed that the funds were depleted in less than 24 hours.

The House first impeached Duterte on February 5, 2025, but the Supreme Court blocked the impeachment proceedings, citing the one-year bar rule. New complaints were filed against Duterte in February 2026.

Debunked: Rappler has previously debunked similar claims regarding martial law under the Marcos administration: 

• FACT CHECK: No martial law declaration over army colonel’s ‘withdrawal of support’
• FACT CHECK: Malacañang ‘statement’ on potential martial law declaration is fake
• FACT CHECK: PH not under martial law after China water cannon incident

– Reinnard Balonzo/Rappler.com 

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