Posts use altered image of lawmakers kissing to discredit allies of Philippine president

"'Boy Tongue' still has that charm. A pastor, you say?" reads part of the Tagalog-language caption of two images shared on Facebook on February 10, 2026.

The first image appears to show legislators Bernadette Barbers and Bienvenido Abante posing for a photo as they sit side-by-side, while the second image appears to show them locked in a kiss.

The rest of the images' caption, written in the Visayan language, states that Barbers originally posted them during a House of Representatives hearing into an impeachment complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.

It adds that Barbers deleted the pictures a few minutes later for undisclosed reasons.

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Screenshot of the false post captured on February 17, 2026, with a red X added by AFP

The pictures circulated a day after Duterte was hit by her third impeachment complaint in a single week (archived link).

The complaints primarily allege  she misused public funds during her tenure as Education Secretary, reviving a process the country's Supreme Court brought to a halt in July 2025 on procedural grounds.

On February 18, Duterte announced a 2028 presidential run -- a move analysts saw as an attempt to keep allies in line at a time of political uncertainty -- and was hit by a fourth impeachment complaint hours later (archived here and here).

Barbers and Abante are members of the House-majority bloc that supports Duterte's ally-turned-foe President Ferdinand Marcos and sit on the House Committee on Justice, which is tasked with handling the impeachment process (archived here and here). 

The circulating images were also shared in similar Facebook posts.

"Is that a congresswoman? Even in Congress, she's such a suck-up. Kissing whoever just so she can get rich again," reads a comment one one of the posts.

"These crocodiles are really just in cahoots with each other," said another, using a Philippine metaphor to describe corrupt politicians.

But the image purportedly showing the legislators kissing is inauthentic.

"This did not happen. This is not real," Barbers said in a February 10 statement, released hours after the image started to spread online (archived link).

As of February 19, the House’s justice committee has yet to deliberate on the impeachment complaints against Duterte, which remain pending at the Office of the House Speaker.

Altered image

A reverse image search on Google found the first image was originally uploaded to Barbers's official Facebook page on February 9 (archived link). None of the nine images shared in the post showed her and Abante kissing.

The caption says the photos were taken during the House Committee on Justice's deliberation on impeachment complaints filed against Marcos -- not Duterte, as the false posts claimed.

A livestream of the February 9 deliberation shows Barbers and Abante wearing the same outfits seen in the circulating images (archived link).

The committee approved a report on the unanimous dismissal of two impeachment complaints against Marcos over allegations he swindled taxpayers out of billions of dollars (archived here and here). The body ruled the complaints lacked sufficient substance to move forward.

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Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared images (L) and photos shared by Barbers

When compared to photos from the hearing, the circulating image contains visual errors that indicate it has been manipulated.

A large black ring worn by Abante on his right hand has disappeared, his watch appears on the opposite wrist and Barbers’ gold bracelet appears to float on the table, detached from her wrist.

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Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared image (L) and actual photo from the hearing, with visual errors highlighted by AFP

AFP has fact-checked other misinformation about Philippine lawmakers.