A TikTok video claiming that statues, monuments and a bust were the accomplishments of the Aquinos, while the Marcos and Duterte adminisrations have roads and bridges as legacies is misleading.
A reader requested VERA Files Fact Check to look into a video published by TikTok user nobitamarcosph on Feb. 28 that compared the accomplishments of former presidents Corazon Aquino and Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III against those of the incumbent Rodrigo Duterte and ousted president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Images of bridges and roads were placed under Duterte and Marcos with the label “mga kurap” while statues and monuments were under the Aquino mother and son with the label “mga di kurap”.
Its caption read: “[B]akit ganun kung sino di kurap Sila yung walang nagawa, Yung mga kurap madaming nagawa (Why is it that those who were not corrupt were the ones who have done nothing, while the ones who are corrupt have done many things). #duterte #dutertelangmalakas”
Many of the bronze busts, statues and monuments were not built during the terms of both Aquinos. Some of the statues were also privately funded or donated by artists.
VERA Files Fact Check has debunked some of the claims about the artworks shown in the video. (Read VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Comparison of infrastructure projects under different administrations MISLEADING)
The video showed a collage of photographs including the bronze statues of Corazon Aquino and husband Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. located in Manila that were taken by photographers Aurora Lim in 2008 and Mark Maranga in 2011, the former taken a couple of years before Aquino III came into office.
The statues of Ninoy Aquino and the assassinated Antique governor Evelio Javier are located along the Manila Baywalk and were created by sculptor Julie Lluch in 2003, according to art educator John Olivares. An inscription beside the two statues also said it was inaugurated in 2003.
A statue of Ninoy Aquino memorializing the last moments before the opposition leader was assassinated is located in Baguio and was taken by photographer Chris Gregerson in 2005.
The image of the bust of the former senator at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center was taken from a 2015 blog post by pangkatpula. The bust was sculpted by Peter de Guzman in 1989 according to Olivares, or three years into Corazon Aquino’s presidency.
The video failed to mention infrastructure projects that started during Noynoy Aquino’s time which were completed during Duterte’s term. The Official Gazette has a list of infrastructure projects that commenced under the Aquino administration.
The video appeared a few days after the commemoration of the 36th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution which ended the 20-year rule of Marcos.
It has been viewed more than 743,200 times and has garnered more than 77,700 interactions. Screenshots of the video were posted by Facebook pages Chillax (created on April 30, 2019), Bongbong Marco Supporters Saudi Arabia (Oct. 9, 2021) and BBM 2022 (May 3, 2021).
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