FACT CHECK: Marcoleta not back as Senate blue ribbon chair

Claim: Senator Rodante Marcoleta has returned as chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee after Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, who replaced him in 2025, was expelled from the chamber.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video containing the claim has 130,000 views, 8,300 likes, and 731 comments as of writing. It was uploaded to a YouTube channel that claims to be a news outlet, which has 1.2 million subscribers.

The title in the video states: “Confirmed! Good news! Sen. Marcoleta balik Blue Ribbon na. Senado bumaliktad dinurog si Lacson, iyak?”

(Confirmed! Good news! Sen. Marcoleta is back in the Blue Ribbon Committee. The Senate has also reversed course, crushing Lacson — he is crying?)

The beginning of the video also shows a graphic of the two senators with the text “Breaking News: Senator Marcoleta chairman [of the] Blue Ribbon [committee]!”

The facts: Marcoleta has not returned as chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee. There is no official record, Senate announcement, or credible news report confirming that he has reclaimed the position at any point after being replaced in 2025.

The claim also disregards how the Senate actually operates. Under Rule X, Sections 18 and 19 of the Rules of the Senate, committee chairmanships are filled through formal election or designation by the chamber. No senator can unilaterally reclaim such a position.

In July 2025, Marcoleta was elected chair of the powerful Senate panel responsible for high-profile investigations. Following a leadership shake-up in the upper chamber in September 2025, Lacson replaced Marcoleta.   

Lacson stepped down as chair on October 6, 2025, amid concerns from fellow senators over the direction of the flood control corruption probe, after which Senator Erwin Tulfo was designated as acting chair. However, this was only temporary. On November 11, 2025, Lacson was formally reelected as chair of the blue ribbon committee during a Senate plenary session, and he continues to hold the position. 

Lacson remains senator: The video also misrepresents Lacson’s status as a lawmaker. He remains a senator of the 20th Congress. Rappler previously published a fact check confirming that Lacson is still a senator and has not been expelled, contrary to claims. 

Under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, a sitting senator like Lacson cannot be arbitrarily removed from office. Suspension or expulsion from office requires a two-thirds vote of Senate members. – Marjuice Destinado/Rappler.com

Marjuice Destinado is a senior political science student at Cebu Normal University (CNU) and an alumna of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2025.

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.