Upon his arrival in the Philippines on Aug. 21, 1983, former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. was carrying Philippine-issued travel documents, not Malaysian, as falsely claimed by a video posted on YouTube and Facebook (FB).
YouTube channel WHISTLE-BLOWER PH and FB page GMA News TH posted a video on Aug. 22 and 23, respectively, showing multiple FB posts claiming that Aquino died a Malaysian citizen as he was in possession of a Malaysian passport. The video’s title read:
“MGA KAKAMPINK, NAWINDANG SA EBIDENSYANG KUMALAT NA NAGPAPATUNAY NA MALAYSIAN SI NINOY BAGO PUMANAW (Kakampinks [supporters of former vice president Leni Robredo] shocked by evidence showing Ninoy was a Malaysian before he died),” read the video’s title.
There is no evidence showing that Aquino applied for a Malaysian passport, as incorrectly claimed by FB page Marcos is a HERO. Interaksyon and Rappler have debunked similar false claims.
Jose Ampeso, Vice Consul of the Philippine Consulate in New Orleans at the time and Aquino’s fraternity brother, revealed in 2014 that he provided two passports to Aquino upon the former senator’s request. One passport was under Aquino’s real name, while the other was under the alias “Marcial Bonifacio,” Ampeso said.
Ken Kasiwahara, who joined Aquino’s last flight to the Philippines, said that Aquino used the “Marcial Bonifacio” passport to pass through immigration. The former senator did have a blank passport under his real name, Kasiwahara added.
The erroneous video also used an Aug. 21 post by FB page TPL3 (created on Jan. 13, 2021) and a 2019 post by FB page Marcos is a HERO (created on Nov. 14, 2014) to claim that the “Marcial Bonifacio” passport was issued by Malaysia. This is false.
Aquino’s “Marcial Bonifacio” passport was a Philippine travel document. It was secured through the help of ex-Mindanao congressman Rashid Lucman, according to a 2003 Philippine Daily Inquirer article quoting Cory Aquino. The former senator’s return to Manila was also the subject of a 2010 History Channel documentary.
WHISTLE-BLOWER PH’s video garnered over 74,000 views on YouTube and FB page GMA News TH’s video garnered over 43,750 interactions. The videos appeared shortly after the 39th anniversary of Aquino’s assassination on Aug. 21, 1983.
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