FACT CHECK | Claim that Ninoy as mastermind of Plaza Miranda bombing is historical fact is false

July 11, 2022 , 04:45 PM

(July 11, 2022) – A former broadcaster on Monday claimed that the late former senator and democracy icon Ninoy Aquino Jr. was one of the masterminds of the Plaza Miranda bombing in 1971 and described it as a historical fact.

His statement is false.

CLAIM:

Jay Sonza posted on Facebook his take on the controversial statement of actress Ella Cruz that likened history to gossip. He cited four examples by presenting two versions of incidents and issues that happened in the country.

Sonza included the Plaza Miranda bombing as one of his examples. He categorized the claim that the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. instigated it as an unverified allegation or “tsismis.” He then claimed that history already showed that Aquino and Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison were the masterminds.

“Batay sa mga pananaliksik at mismong pagpapatotoo ng mga sangkot, walang kinalaman si Marcos. Ang utak sa pagsabog sa Plaza Miranda ay sina Jose Ma. Sison ng CPP-NPA-NDF (CPP-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front) at Sen. Ninoy Aquino ng Liberal Party,” wrote Sonza.

RATING: False

FACTS:

Sonza was wrong in claiming that the information he shared was historical fact because of insufficient proof.

To recall, the Plaza Miranda bombing occurred during the political rally of the Liberal Party on August 21, 1971, outside the Quiapo Church in Manila. It killed nine and injured nearly a hundred others, including some senatorial candidates of the opposition group.

Aquino was not present at the event as he was allegedly at a birthday party with Sen. Doy Laurel and his family in a nearby restaurant. But there’s no concrete evidence proving that his absence meant he was among those who planned the violent attack.

Until now, without any substantial basis, claims that Aquino was one of the plotters are merely unfounded rumors and not a historical fact. He was never linked to any concrete evidence or definite report or tagged by a witness.

Meanwhile, some news outfits like The Washington Post have reported about similar allegations against Sison. In 1989, it published an article that narrated accounts from alleged former high-ranking officials of the CPP who blamed Sison for the bombing that reportedly aimed to “provoke” Marcos.

“They described how the party leadership planned—and three operatives carried out—the attack in an attempt to provoke government repression and push the country to the brink of revolution,” read the report.

But Sison has repeatedly brushed off the allegations. INQUIRER.net published a story six years ago that quoted Sison as saying that the accusations against him sought to discredit the revolutionary movement. He reportedly said this in an interview with activist Ilena Saturay.

“Those attacks are pure rubbish,” said Sison. “They usually recycle false testimonies against me and conjectures from previous publications against me. They never present my side in full even if the case file is available and the submissions and counter-submissions are accessible.”

Sison, who’s considered a political refugee in The Netherlands, also noted that he and Aquino weren’t charged because there was no clear evidence linking them to the incident.

Many blamed Marcos, but former Senate President Jovito Salonga, one of the badly hurt individuals in the blast, said he does not believe that the autocratic leader ordered the attack. He wrote in his autobiography that Sison and other CPP leaders initiated the attack, as stated in a 2002 article by ABS-CBN News.

“Salonga reached this conclusion after reading the book The Red Revolution by Washington Post correspondent Gregg Jones,” the report said, noting that at least three former guerrillas corroborated the claim.

“I have forgiven him a long time ago,” said Salonga. “Still, forgiving them or not does not mean that you should hide the truth. I exposed the truth that he was the one who engineered the 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing.”

The Plaza Miranda bombing was one of the events that Marcos used to justify the declaration of Martial Law in 1972. It killed more than 3,240, tortured 34,000, and imprisoned 70,000 individuals, according to Amnesty International. Marcos, whose son and namesake now sits as president, was eventually thrown out of power in an uprising prominently known as the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986.

WHY THIS MATTERS:

Sonza has been flagged numerous times for spreading false information, including against the opposition. As of writing, his false post has garnered more than 2,400 reactions, 164 comments, and 272 shares. He openly supports President Bongbong Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.

Arguments likening history as gossip emerged recently when Cruz made the remark in an interview. Historians have stressed that their practice is not as simple as that because they need to verify accounts through solid evidence gathered by conducting comprehensive research and peer reviews.

Cruz appeared in a recent video where she defended her stance on the issue, saying gossip becomes history once proven by evidence and research.

News5 is part of #FactsFirstPH which brings together various sectors that are committed to promoting truth in the public space, and exacting accountability on those who harm it with lies. For those interested to join the initiative, e-mail info@factsfirst.ph. Message News 5’s Facebook page if you want to have any claims fact-checked. Read our fact-checking policy here.

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