An alleged news graphic is erroneously claiming that former president Rodrigo Duterte was the mastermind behind the assassination of the late senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. This is satire and not true.
On July 19, a Facebook page published the joke graphic with the caption:
“Totoo ‘to. Kawawa naman. (This is true. [Ninoy Aquino] is pitiful). CTTO.”
However, the graphic text reads:
“EXCLUSIVE: DUTERTE BEHIND NINOY’S ASSASSINATION? News Satirical Report Claims Shocking Twist in Philippine History.”
The caption belies the text in the graphic, confusing the public into believing that the alleged news story cited is correct.
In reality, there is no news report accusing Duterte of being the architect in the Aquino killing as the graphic was made in humor. This is clear from the text itself which indicates that the report cited is actually a satire piece not meant to be taken seriously.
Satire refers to content that uses humor, exaggeration or absurdity to criticize or bring awareness to an issue, particularly in relation to society or politics. The average person may not be able to immediately notice that a post is satirical.
FB page MANILA STUDIO first published the news article parody on July 16. At the very end of the supposed story, the page put out a disclaimer saying “this is just satire news.”
Still, some users who only saw the graphic believed it to be real and criticized the so-called report for “blaming every issue” on Duterte.
The satirical content surfaced after Romando Artes, chair of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, blamed the controversial dolomite beach project along Manila Bay – a project of the Duterte administration to rehabilitate the area – for contributing to the recent flooding in the capital.
FB page Vice President Sarah Duterte Supporters (created on Oct. 13, 2022) published the satirical content, garnering over 1,300 reactions, 500 comments and 60 shares.
