A Facebook post claiming the late president Corazon Aquino had her husband’s bust and monuments built is false.
In fact, the bust and monuments included in a photo collage posted on April 29 by Facebook page Asintado Tv were commemorative of former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.’s death and were built after Mrs. Aquino, more popularly known as “Cory,” was no longer president. One was even built after she died in 2009.
Asintado Tv’s photo collage showed buildings and infrastructure it labeled “mga pinatayo ni Marcos” (those built by Marcos). Senator Aquino’s bust and monuments were described as “mga pinapatayo ni Cory Aquino” (those built by Cory Aquino).
The post’s caption read:
“Gawa ng magnanakaw daw vs gawa ng nag akusa Nakakahiya no? Kaya kay BBM ako gusto kung makita ulit ang mga project ng magnanakaw(Built by an alleged thief vs. built by an accuser. Embarrassing, right? I support BBM because I want to see what projects a thief can do).
The bust of Aquino shown in the post can be found in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. It was installed on Aug. 21, 2008, by then president Gloria Arroyo in commemoration of his 25th death anniversary.
The photo was taken by Manilastreetwalker blog who posted it in 2008.
Aquino’s monument in San Fernando, Pampanga stands on a concrete pedestal made with a budget of almost P160,000, according to a bidding document. It was unveiled by local officials in 2018, nine years after Mrs. Aquino’s death. It was done by Jun Fabian and is one of many statues of local and national heroes in the city’s “heroes park.” A copy of the photo can be found on Sunstar Pampanga.
Aquino’s monument sculpted by Peter de Guzman depicting his last moments before being assassinated in 1983 has been standing in Makati City since 2005, according to a previous fact check by Vera Files. The photo also appears in a Tripadvisor listing.
A photo of Aquino’s statue in Manila is also included in the post. The photo was uploaded on the photo sharing site Flickr in 2009 by user Frisno Bostrom.
The Facebook post has been shared 150 times; reshares of the post have gained over 500 engagements. (ML)