Claim: A netizen submitted a screen capture theough our tipline asking us to fact-check the plunder of the late dictator President Ferdinand E. Marcos on the Philippines’ coffers.
Rating: TRUE
The Facts: The sender sought verification of Ferdinand Marcos’ pillaging that subsequently caused the Philippine economy to crumble.
Why we fact-checked this: It is Baguio Chronicle’s duty to accommodate claims that seek the truth. Hence, we provide proof to help shed light on the matter.
The 2022 Presidential Elections is drawing near and propaganda is an integral part of every campaign strategy. In order to choose leaders who have the heart and capacity for public service, it is our responsibility to know every candidates’ background, track record, capacity to discharge their duties, among others. With disinformation widely spread across different platforms, it is a breath of fresh air to know there are organizations that dispel lies with facts.
A message was sent to us for fact-checking. It carries a screen capture of a Google search with the keyword “world’s greatest thief.” On the search results, it bears the name of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, the father of the presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr.
The first item on the search results presents a webpage from the Guinness Book of World Records. Guinness says that the Greatest Robbery of a Government was done by Ferdinand E. Marcos. Since April 23, 1986, Marcos was and is still is the record holder to this date. Marcos’ name will only be replaced if there’s anyone who, backed by compelling evidence, exceeded Marcos’ misdeeds.
Another proof of Marcos’ corruption is a documentary film aired in 1986, produced and hosted by broadcast icon Angelo Castro, Jr., titled “Marcos: A Malignant Spirit.” The film sheds light on Marcos’ plunder and their escape from the Philippines towards the end of the Martial Law. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iF0k4VRPyo]
Rappler published an article about Marcos’s ill-gotten wealth. The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) has recovered a staggering P174 Billion and the government is still going after P125 Billion. [https://www.rappler.com/…/breakdown-billions-recovered…/]
As recent as February 20, the Guardian Newspaper in the UK had a story on the Credit Suisse (https://www.theguardian.com/…/credit-suisse-secrets…) and was thus quoted: “One of the most notorious cases in Credit Suisse’s history involved the corrupt Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda. The couple is estimated to have siphoned as much as $10bn from the Philippines during the three terms Ferdinand was president, which ended in 1986.”
The claim that Marcos looted the Philippines then is TRUE.
Illustration by War Espejo of Spot.ph
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