A political author Cecilio T. Arillo revealed that former President Cory Aquino allegedly spent 1 trillion worth of ghost projects and spread the fake news in 1990 by claiming that she “built 3,6365 kilometers of major roads and 18,120 kilometers of feeder roads from 1986 to 1990.”
To prove their article, they quoted former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, trying to debunk the claims of Aquino saying that she actively built infrastructure around the Philippines.
“The kilometers of roads should be easily visible, for the greatest length of the archipelago north to south is 1,851 kilometers only,” Enrile said.
“Perhaps, the President and her Cabinet members should tell us where these new roads are. Frankly, I have not seen any in my travels in the countryside. Of course, some could be located inside Hacienda Luisita, as one Commission on Audit report disclosed.” he added.
Enrile also noticed that the claims of Cory Aquino, saying that she already irrigated 27,530 hectares of farmlands might even not real.
“Where are these irrigated farmlands located?” Enrile asked. “Could these be in Tarlac or some planet like Mars? If this claim is true, why are we still importing rice and corn?” Enrile said.
The Senator pointed out that in 1988, Aquino imported 187,154 metric tons of rice and 172,263 MT of corn, which according to him is an evidence that Cory is only whitewashing the public.
“People in the rural areas often ask me for public funds to provide them with safe drinking water. With 51,820 water-supply projects, each of our 41,000 barangays should have at least one [water supply] project. But where are these water-supply projects?” he said.
“When told about these “water-supply projects,” barangay residents reacted in disbelief. Could it be that our barangay folks, ordinary mortals like us, are blind and do not see what the exalted officials of the Aquino administration see?” he added.
Because of this alleged corruption, Enrile labeled the ghost projects as “One Trillion pesos staggers the imagination,”
According to Enrile, the 1 trillion pesos which allegedly went to ghost projects, if really went to the people would be so useful and life changing.
“If that sum of money were judiciously used, we would be seeing today immense and dramatic improvement in the quality of our life. And yet, in terms of visible physical and structural infrastructure achievement, the Aquino administration pales in comparison with the regime it replaced.”
“If we sum up all the money granted to the Marcos regime from 1966 to 1985, a period of 20 years, as against the four years of the Aquino administration, the total would not come anywhere near the fabulous amount of one trillion pesos.”
“One trillion pesos could have created 20 million classrooms for children, complete with teaching aids; constructed 10 million modest homes for the poor; obtained 1 million passenger buses for weary commuters; or established one health center for each of the country’s 41,000 barangays.
“One trillion pesos could have erected one emergency hospital each for 1,600 towns, one general hospital for every congressional district, and one medical complex in every city and province—all of them equipped with the most modern medical facilities rendering free medicines and medical services to 60 million Filipinos.
“One trillion pesos could have irrigated 24 million hectares of rice land, sufficient to produce 2.4 billion cavans of palay per harvest, which would not only reverse the country’s plight as a rice-importing nation, but also place the Philippines as the No 1 rice producer in Southeast Asia.”
You can read the whole article here: https://businessmirror.com.ph/cory-aquino-herself-spread-fake-news/