FALSE

Only three, not all 10 senatorial candidates endorsed by former president Rodrigo Duterte, known collectively as the “DuterTEN,” won in the 2025 midterm elections, contrary to a misleading Facebook post.

The Facebook page Rodante Marcoleta Solid Supporters posted the false claim on May 19, saying: 

G00D NEWS TO DUTERTEN PANALO LAHAT (Good news to DuterTEN, they all won). 

Official election results contradict this claim. Only three “DuterTEN” candidates secured Senate seats and were proclaimed winners by the Commission on Elections on May 17.

Bong Go led the race with over 27 million votes, Bato Dela Rosa ranked third with more than 20 million votes, and lawyer Rodante Marcoleta ranked sixth with over 15 million votes. Go and Dela Rosa are reelectionists.

According to data from the Commission on Elections cited by GMA Integrated News, the Duterte-backed slate only achieved a full win in Mindanao, where Duterte continues to enjoy strong public support. 

The top 12 in that region included not only Go, Dela Rosa and Marcoleta but also Camille Villar and Imee Marcos, both endorsed by the Dutertes, giving the Duterte camp a complete sweep.

In Luzon, which holds more than half of the national electorate, only Go and Dela Rosa from the DuterTEN and Marcos made it to the top 12. 

In the Visayas, Marcoleta joined Go, Dela Rosa and Villar in the winning circle.

Read the full story on FactRakers.

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FactRakers is a Philippines-based fact-checking initiative of journalism majors at the University of the Philippines-Diliman working under the supervision of Associate Professor Yvonne T. Chua of the University of the Philippines’ Journalism Department. Associate Professor Ma. Diosa Labiste, also of the Journalism Department, serves as editorial consultant.

FactRakers' fact-checks also include those produced by Tinig ng Plaridel — the official student publication of the UP College of Media and Communication — and the UP Journalism Club.

The name of the initiative, coined from the words “fact” and “raker,” is inspired by the term “muckrakers,” first used in the early 1900s by American president Theodore Roosevelt to express his annoyance at progressive, reform-minded journalists at the time.

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