An online post published by a netizen on Nov. 16 claiming that the Guinness World Records hailed the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. as “the world’s most brilliant president in history” is fake news.
The online post featured a low-resolution photo with the question, “Did you know?” with two logos of the record-giving body, an image of Marcos, and the text “the world’s most brilliant president in history” underneath it.
The Guinness World Records gives out no such award.
On the contrary, what it awarded Marcos is the record for holding the “greatest robbery of a government,” which he has held since April 23, 1986.
The official Guinness record details the “feat” after Marcos and his wife Imelda were found to have “salted away” millions of dollars in government funds out of the total national loss of $5 to $10 billion since November 1965.
The hoax was published the same day the former first lady and incumbent Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos posted a P150,000-bail for her temporary liberty a week after the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan found her guilty on seven counts of graft, for creating and maintaining seven Siss foundations “for the private benefit” of their family during the term of her late husband.
The Marcoses allegedly earned about $200 million from these foundations, according to Assistant Special Prosecutor Ryan Quilala.
Marcos currently faces a prison sentence of six years and one month up to 11 years for each count of graft.
The netizen’s fake post has been shared by over 5,200 people, and has received over 700 reactions and more than 100 comments.
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