No, former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has not been put behind bars.
The July 18 story by website newzeverywhere.top claiming Aquino had been arrested and jailed on graft charges is fake news.
The report, which bore the headline “ARESTADO NA SI NOYNOY AQUINO PASOK NA SA KULUNGAN SA KASONG GRAFT (Noynoy Aquino arrested, jailed for graft),” only carried as its content a pirated News5 live feed of the June 25 Department of Justice probe on the Dengvaxia controversy.
Aquino, who was implicated in the controversy following the deaths of school children inoculated with the anti-dengue vaccine, was not at all mentioned in the 14-minute footage.
Uploaded by Youtube channel Tatay Duterte News, the video also dubiously features as its thumbnail a photo of the former chief executive flanked by security personnel. The image is actually a February 2017 photo by GMA News Online of Aquino arriving at a Liberal Party caucus.
Newzeverywhere.top’s fake story, which could have reached more than 1.7 million people, was published two days after the National Bureau of Investigation filed graft charges against Aquino and several other former public officials for the alleged illegal purchase of the Dengvaxia vaccine during his term.
Traffic to the fabricated story was largely generated from social media by the pages President Rody Duterte -Federal Movement International, DU30 Trending News, and Duterte Supporters Worldwide. Newzeverywhere.top was created July 12; Tatay Duterte News in December 2016.
(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
