Fact check: Did Juan Ponce Enrile use a wheelchair as gimmick to his plunder case?
- A photo collage showed images of Juan Ponce Enrile, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Erap Estrada, and Imelda Marcos using a wheelchair went viral
- The post claimed that politicians use a wheelchair as a gimmick to their corruption cases
- However, the claim about Enrile has been debunked
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Former Senate President and Senate candidate Juan Ponce Enrile was featured in a viral post, claiming that he used a wheelchair as a gimmick to his on-going plunder case.
KAMI learned that in the viral post, four politicians were seen using a wheelchair after getting involved in court cases. Among the four were former Presidents Joseph “Erap” Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and former First Lady Imelda Marcos.
“Buhay ng Pulitiko sa Pinas. Kapag eleksyon TUMATAKBO. Pag may kaso NALULUMPO,” it stated in the caption.
A French news agency named Agence France-Presse conducted a reverse image search of the photo showing Enrile in a wheelchair. According to their report, the photo of Enrile was photoshopped.
The original photo was from an image that can be found on Shutterstock’s website.
Source: Facebook
The image used for Enrile’s face was first posted on the Twitter account of ABS-CBN last year.
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However, the photos of Estrada, Arroyo, and Marcos were authentic.
Estrada used a wheelchair when he went to Hong Kong Adventist Hospital for his knee surgery in December 2004. He was ousted as the Philippine President due to plunder charges filed against him.
Source: Facebook
Arroyo, who took the position of Estrada, used a wheelchair in 2011 at the airport to travel to Hong Kong. However, she was prohibited to leave the country due to the plunder charges she was facing.
Source: Facebook
Marcos was seen using a wheelchair during her visit to the tomb of former President Ferdinand Marcos on National Heroes’ Day, August 28, 2017. The photo was taken by AFP.
Source: Facebook
The viral post was shared by different Facebook pages and groups for thousands of times.
Juan Ponce Enrile or JPE, 94, is the oldest to file for a certificate of candidacy and run as a senator. He served as a Senate President and was a key figure in the bloodless revolution, EDSA People Power Revolution.
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