FACT-CHECK: Ombudsman did not send Sen. Joel Villanueva to jail

admin 12:19 AM
CLAIM: Sen. Joel Villanueva was sent to jail by the order of the Ombudsman.
 
RATING: FALSE

 

A Jan. 7 YouTube video falsely claimed that Sen. Joel Villanueva was sent to prison following a guilty conviction by the Ombudsman.

Flagged content:  A YouTube account named “VIRAL BROADCAST PH” posted a video titled “BREAKING NEWS! VILLANUEVA KULONG AT TANGGAL SA PWESTO, MABIGAT ANG HATOL NG OMBUDSMAN KAY VILLANUEVA” (“Breaking news! Villanueva detained and dismissed from position, Ombudsman laid down a serious verdict on Villanueva”)

  • The thumbnail shows an overlay text that reads, “VILLANUEVA HIMAS REHAS GUILTY ANG HATOL IYAK SI VILLANUEVA, MABIGAT NA HATOL NG OMBUDSMAN, KULONG AT TANGGAL SA PWESTO” (“Villanueva detained, guilty verdict made Villanueva cry, a serious verdict by the Ombudsman on Villanueva, [Villanueva] imprisoned and dismissed from position”)
  • While the thumbnail made a collage of the faces of government officials, including Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla and President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., at the very center was an edited picture of Villanueva, appearing to wipe away tears while behind bars.

Our debunk: The Ombudsman investigates and prosecutes, and does not issue guilty verdicts or order imprisonment. When the video was uploaded there was no report of Villanueva’s arrest and imprisonment.

  • As of writing, the complaints against Villanueva were still under preliminary investigation.
  • On Jan. 5, Villanueva appeared at the Department of Justice to file his counter-affidavit in response to a complaint against him regarding the flood control corruption scandal. 
  • The Senate’s official website still lists Villanueva as a senator of the 20th Congress.

Rewind: In September 2025, former public works district engineer Henry Alcantara tagged Villanueva on budget insertions amid flood control corruption investigations. 

  • In October 2025, Remulla attempted to enforce Villanueva’s 2016 dismissal order in an unrelated pork barrel misuse case, but was unable to do so, as it had been reversed by Ombudsman Samuel Martires in 2019.

Why we fact-checked this: As of writing, the video has drawn 14,257 views, 821 likes, and 50 comments. 

  • The flood control scandal remains a huge political issue and could influence the 2028 presidential elections.

Spot the fake: Verify any claims of verdict and imprisonment by checking the official websites of social media channels of government agencies. Rhei Hernandez

 


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