A nearly three-year-old Facebook post against the Aquino family is being revived online, making allegations that are either erroneous, baseless or which need context.
Originally published on Jan. 9, 2019, the post stated that:
- former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. sold Sabah;
- former President Corazon Aquino sold the Philippine Airlines;
- their son, former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, sold the Scarborough Shoal; and
- their youngest daughter, celebrity Kris Aquino, stole jewelry from former first lady Imelda Marcos.
We fact-checked each claim below.
On Ninoy Aquino ‘selling’ Sabah
This claim is unproven. Hermes Dorado, former national territory division head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, claimed in 2013 that Aquino met with then-Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammad Mahathir.
In the supposed meeting, which allegedly took place before Aquino returned to the Philippines from self-exile in the United States, the former senator told Mahathir that he would drop the Philippines’ claim on Sabah once in power, in exchange for Malaysia’s support to oust Marcos. Aquino was assassinated on his return on Aug. 21, 1983.
Dorado said he indirectly confirmed this piece of information from former ambassador and retired general Rafael Ileto. This claim could not be verified by documents or other accounts.
On Cory Aquino ‘selling’ the Philippine Airlines
This needs context. Philippine Airlines (PAL) was privatized in March 1992, towards the end of Aquino’s term as president, although plans to sell the company were made years earlier.
In a 1987 speech, Aquino vowed to sell the country’s flag carrier, which she said was “plainly too costly for the Government to support and manage properly.” The government eventually sold 67% of PAL to a holding company led by businessman Antonio Cojuangco, Aquino’s nephew.
The privatization of government-owned and controlled corporations began during the Marcos administration through Presidential Decree 2030 of 1986, among others. The state’s divestment of these assets was continued by the Aquino administration through Proclamation No. 50 of 1986.
On Noynoy Aquino selling the Scarborough Shoal
This is false. In 2012, the former president said former senator Antonio Trillanes IV was approached by Chinese officials to do backchannel negotiations with China in order to resolve tensions over Scarborough Shoal at the time.
Aquino and Trillanes were charged with treason and espionage for conducting the backchannel talks, but the Ombudsman dismissed the complaint in 2017 due to lack of probable cause for the charges filed against them.
On Kris Aquino wearing Imelda Marcos’ jewelry
This is not true. VERA Files Fact Check, as well as other media organizations debunked in 2015, 2016, and 2018, the oft-repeated falsehood about Aquino allegedly stealing and wearing jewelry once owned by the Marcos matriarch.
In one instance, a website alleged that she wore one of Mrs. Marcos’ necklaces at the premiere of the film Crazy Rich Asians in 2018. This was debunked by Diagold Jewelry, the shop that created the diamond necklace in question, in a response to VERA Files.
And just last week, former Supreme Court Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno warned those who continue to accuse Aquino of stealing the jewelry that they could face a criminal case. In her FB page, Sereno said the rumors tarnish not only Aquino’s reputation but also those of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, in whose vaults some of the Marcos jewels are kept, and the Presidential Commission on Good Government, the agency tasked to recover the Marcos family’s ill-gotten wealth.
The erroneous graphic by the FB netizen has over 3,300 reactions, 1,500 comments, and 26,000 shares as of publishing. Social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle showed a spike of posts sharing the erroneous graphic in FB groups from Nov. 17 to Nov. 19, around the time the House of Representatives honored lawmakers and public servants who died in 2021. The list includes former president Noynoy Aquino, who passed away last June 24.
FB groups Nyt lumenda music, Marcos Parin Movement Isabela, and Tutok win were among the post’s top traffic generators, garnering a total of over 2,800 interactions.
Have you seen any dubious claims, photos, memes, or online posts that you want us to verify? Fill out this reader request form or send it to ‘VERA, the truth bot’ on Viber.
(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
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