Checking Aguirre’s Claim

Screengrab from Rappler.

JUSTICE IS truth in action*. For democracy to work, government officials are expected to be truthful when speaking to the people, sharing factual and accurate information and opinion based on nothing but facts and evidence.

This expectation that public officials tell the truth was recently flouted by no less than Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.

On June 7, as the Marawi siege entered its third week, Aguirre told reporters he had called to a press conference that senators Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, Antonio Trillanes IV, Magdalo Partylist Representative Gary Alejano, and former Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Ronald Llamas met with local leaders, clan chiefs and several Moro families on May 2, three weeks before fighting broke out in Marawi City. To support his claim, the justice secretary showed mediamen a picture, saved on his mobile phone, showing the four posing for a shot.

Within hours, however, Aguirre’s lie was exposed by the fact check done by a diligent media.

Rappler obtained a copy of the photo Aguirre showed to reporters, which turned out to have been taken in a coffee shop at the Iloilo International Airport on Sept. 4, 2015. It was posted on Facebook by Zamboanga del Sur Vice Govenor Ace William Cerilles. In the photo were Cerilles, Trillanes, Alejano, Llamas and Mark Lapid.

The online news organization also quoted Llamas as saying he was in the US on May 2. “They can easily check that with the Immigration, which is under the Department of Justice,” Llamas said in the Rappler report (“FACT-CHECK: Aguirre uses old photo to tag opposition lawmakers in Marawi crisis”).

Online counterparts of several news organizations including the Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Star, the Manila Bulletin and News.ABS-CBN.com carried the statements of Aquino, Trillanes, Llamas and Alejano, all denying the alleged Marawi meeting.

GMA News Online used part of an official record showing senators Aquino and Trillanes in the Senate, voting on a pair of bills along with 20 other senators on May 2. The report also quoted Senator Trillanes, who said that it has been three years since he last visited Marawi City (“OFFICIAL RECORD SHOWS: Aquino, Trillanes at Senate on day of Marawi meeting alleged by Aguirre”).

On the same day he alleged that the opposition senators met with local leaders, Aguirre was forced to take back his words, saying he did not mean to imply that the lawmakers were part of the terrorist acts in Marawi, and that he was ‘misquoted’ by the media. Audio and video recordings proved otherwise.

A video by Inquirer showed Aguirre being asked why he was saying that the cash and checks found in a house occupied by the Maute group could have been placed there to mislead. Aguirre answered: “Because sina Senator Bam Aquino, hindi naman, sinasabi ko lang, ano, he went to Marawi on April 24 and April 28 and they stayed and had a meeting at Lake View Resort on May 2…so hindi ko malaman why after they went there, nagkagulo na after about two weeks.” (“Bam tells Aguirre: Don’t rely on ‘fake news’ in making accusations”)

Government officials can only enjoy the public’s presumption of regularity in their conduct and of truthfulness in their statements, if their record supports this confidence. But as this experience shows, the secretary of justice himself needs to be fact-checked, perhaps, more vigorously than others.

*A quote from British politician, writer Benjamin Disraeli.