DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday described rumors linking Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV to the Marawi terrorist attack as “too absurd to be believed.”
In his exchange of text messages with the senator, Lorenzana assured Aquino that he “never gave credence to rumors about the lawmaker’s presence in Marawi” days before the skirmish between the government troops and members of the Maute group, as they were “too absurd to be believed.”
On Wednesday, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III repeated these rumors and suggested Aquino and other anti-Duterte politicians were seeking to destabilize the government, only to retract his accusation on the same day.
In a radio interview Thursday, Aquino said Lorenzana also absolved him and other members of the opposition of any involvement in the Marawi attack during a closed-door briefing on martial law.
“During the briefing, I asked Secretary Lorenzana about the fake news being spread, but he laughed and said there was no truth to it,” Aquino said in Filipino.
Aguirre earlier said Aquino was in a meeting with influential Moro clans in Marawi City on May 2, but the senator was actually the commencement speaker at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Pasay City, then attended a session of the Senate.
On May 19, Aquino was in Marawi City for the inauguration of the first Negosyo Center in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with the vice governor and several Armed Forces officers.
“Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez has already publicly clarified and confirmed that I was in Marawi City for the Negosyo Center launch. These are easily verifiable for anyone who cares to find the truth,” said Aquino.
He maintained that it would be prudent for Aguirre, as Justice secretary, to clarify dates, seek evidence and request official statements from legitimate government agencies before he makes more false accusations.
“This tragedy could have been an opportunity to unite the Philippines against a common enemy. Instead, it’s being used to further political interests and further divide our country,” the senator said.
Despite his retraction, Aguirre said he would still order intelligence agencies to investigate a possible destabilization plot.
On Thursday, Aguirre admitted that the information about the May 2 meeting and a photo allegedly showing it were erroneous, but said they did not come from him.
“I’m not spreading fake news. The photo did not come from me. And the information was just given to me so I am having it investigated,” he said.
Aguirre apologized to Aquino and the two clans he mentioned.
A photo he showed during a press briefing Wednesday purportedly showing the May 2 meeting turned out to be a photograph from 2015.
“For the record, I did not say there was a meeting between the two families and some lawmakers prior to the Marawi siege. The said meeting never took place and no member of both families ever met with Senator [Antonio] Trillanes [IV], congressman [Gary} Alejano and Ronald Llamas,” he said in a retraction issued later Wednesday.
He apologized to the two families for the confusion that he attributed to “misquotations by the media.” He also called Aquino to apologize and clarify his statements.
Despite Aguirre’s role in spreading false rumors, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said the Justice secretary was doing “an excellent job.”
He added that Aguirre was just doing his job and continued to enjoy President Rodrigo Duterte’s trust and confidence.
“I am sure he is fully aware of what he needs to do and how to address the matter,” the Palace spokesman said.
Contrary to Aguirre’s suggestion of a destabilization plot by anti-administration politicians, Abella said the ongoing strife in Mindanao was caused by extremist organizations.
“We go by what the President has said that the troubles are directly due to the ISIS [Islamic State],” he added.
