Facebook user Lito Prado slammed the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for allegedly campaigning for the “Legion of Honor” award to be given to former President Benigno Aquino III.
[ads2]
Prado shared the article to the Facebook fan page “President Rody Duterte Facebook Army,” where it gained reactions from several netizens.
Some netizens called out the priests for pushing for an award for the undeserving Aquino, while others named them paid hacks who are allied with Aquino’s Liberal Party.
However, the fact that the story came from Okd2.com already made its claims questionable enough. The website has produced so many hoaxes before that its stories should not be taken seriously anymore.
[ads1]
This time, Okd2.com is claiming that the CBCP is lobbying for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to make Aquino a Legion of Honor awardee. It also noted how Archbishop Socrates Villegas asked church-goers to pray for Aquino.
Okd2.com further claimed that Aquino is more than deserving of the award, citing his effort to take China to court over the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippine Legion of Honor is the oldest Senior Honor of the Republic, among three honors. It is the Order of Defense Merit of the Philippines. It is also described as the highest honor that the President of the Philippines may grant an individual without concurring with Congress. The Legion of Honor may be bestowed upon an individual by the President of the Philippines or the Defense Secretary in the President’s behalf.
However, there is no truth to Okd2.com’s claim about the CBCP lobbying for the award to be conferred upon Aquino. The Church may have been quite vocal in opposing the government’s drug war and the killings that are connected to it, but they have not involved themselves when it comes to the Legion of Honor.
Okd2.com is merely making up a story using two of the most controversial figures today – Aquino and the CBCP. The more interesting their story is, regardless of whether it is true or not, the more traffic the website will get from curious netizens. That’s it!
Be Informed. Beat the Trolls, Share the Truth!
[ads3]
