Fake news is unverified news—rumors or gossip.
I have been a journalist for nearly seven decades. I have seen several forms of fake news. I myself have been sued 17 times. Of those, I have apologized four times because I was careless, or did not verify facts.
I have covered 10 presidents starting from President Elpidio Quirino. During Quirino’s incumbency, his political enemies peddled fake news that he and his wife had a “golden orinola.” This fake news item stuck with them for years. It did great damage to their image.
There was also a rumor that President Ramon Magsaysay snuck out of the Palace at four o’clock in the morning for a tryst with a woman in high places.
Then, during the time of President Macapagal, there was a rumor that his Executive Secretary Fenny Hechanova and his wife travelled to France with a suitcase full of cash to be deposited in Switzerland. Their host supposedly poisoned them with gas—which they survived. The suitcase disappeared.
Even at that time, money transfer could be done through the wires!
But as far as I can recall, the biggest hoax of the century was the so-called Yamashita treasure. Tomoyuki Yamashita was known as the Tiger of Malay because he reportedly raided and ransacked the temples of Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand for gold and treasure.
Thus, when Yamashita became commander of the Japanese imperial forces in the Philippines, he reportedly brought with him treasures from Malaya and other countries occupied by the Japanese.
That was, of course, pure nonsense, but it did not prevent treasure hunters from all over the world to come here digging. Some of them even went to Fort Santiago!
Even Marcos believed it at the time. He called my brother Desi, the hero of Bessang Pass – a battle which led to the surrender of Yamashita—to team up with General Zosimo Paredes to hunt for the Yamashita treasure. The two-month hunt was financed by businessman Santos Pelaez.
My brother was skeptical but proceeded with the hunt, anyway.
Upon his return, my brother said it was a fruitless expedition. The only thing they discovered was a case somewhere in Nueva Vizcaya that contained skeletons of soldiers.
Another example of fake news is the so-called expose of Senator Ninoy Aquino that Marcos had some 400 muslim soldiers massacred on the island fort of Corregidor.
That exposé became headline news because it was reportedly an attempt of Marcos to invade and occupy Sabah.
The story was attributed to one Muslim soldier who escaped the massacre —later called the Jabidah massacre—after which the Senate condemned Marcos. The Muslim group was reportedly headed by Col. Eddie Martelino, who assumed the name Abdul Latif.
But if it really happened, there would have been clamor for the head of Marcos by the relatives of the Muslims. But where were they?
The trouble with fake news is that people believe them and act on this belief. The ultimate victim is the truth.
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I would like to pay tribute to two Filipino businessmen—Ambassador Antonio Cabangon Chua of the Cabangon Group of Companies, and Felimon Cuevas of the Cuevas Group of Companies. The two were my friends, and I will always treasure our bond.
I consider the unsung heroes. In their lifetime, they gave back to people who needed help. They both had humble beginnings, and became blessed through sheer hard work and perseverance.
Tony was a cigaret vendor when he was a boy. He worked hard to provide for his mother. The late National Artist for Literature, Nick Joaquin, chronicled Tony’s life in a book called “The Saga of Antonio Cabangon Chua.”
He was a good friend to journalists and also to the Catholic Church because of his contributions.
Cuevas, a ranking member of Iglesia ni Kristo, used to be a lowly fisherman in Cavite and a gasoline station attendant. Through hard work, he ended up owning that gas station. He sent his brother, the late Supreme Court Justice Serafin Cuevas, to school.
Ka Imon, as I called him, became rich during the Vietnam War when he supplied oil to Clark Air Base. He was also able to distribute drivers’ licenses until the end of the Arroyo administration.
He was the right-hand man of the late INC Supremo, Ka Erdie Manalo. He became the INC treasurer. He had business in hotels, property development, insurance and automotives. I remember him and the late lawyer Leonardo Siguion Reyna because we would go with President Fidel Ramos and President Joseph Estrada on their foreign trips.
Like Tony, Ka Imon also knew how to pay it forward from his success.
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