Billionaire John Gokongwei is said to have bought President Rodrigo Duterte a customized bulletproof car.
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The article was shared by blogs Aljazeera-tv.com, Metro-uk.com, and Tartey.com, among others. They all bear the same copy of the article, which claimed that one of Philippines’ richest, Gokongwei, gave Duterte the latest 2016 release of BMW M2 and customized it with Duterte’s name. The business supposedly paid $145,000 for the bulletproof car. The article also noted that Gokongwei is worth $6 billion, as per Forbes’ 2016 report.
According to Forbes.com, Gokongwei is worth $5.8 billion, although a Philippine Star report about Forbes Magazine’s Philippines’ 50 Richest list for 2016 estimated $6.8 billion as Gokongwei’s net worth.
However, the part about the billionaire buying Duterte a bulletproof BMW is quite doubtful. We cannot find any credible news outlet confirming this claim.
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And if the car has to bear the President’s name, it ought to bear the license plate number “1,” not
“Duterte-16.”
As the Philippine president, Duterte has the privilege to use a bulletproof Mercedes-Benz W221 S-class as his presidential car. But before his inauguration on June 30, Duterte expressed his desire to still continue using his old pickup truck, shunning the Benz, believing that all those who rode the presidential car had bad luck in life by getting ousted or sent to jail.
During his inauguration, Duterte arrived at the venue onboard a white Toyota Land Cruiser, not the Benz.
The President also said earlier that he wanted his administration to practice authority, so he told his Cabinet members and the rest of his official family to get rid of luxury cars and use Toyota Avanaza instead because it’s the cheapest.
So, accepting a bulletproof BMW M2 is probably not in Duterte’s nature, given his earlier directives.
Moreover, Aljazeera-tv.com and Metro-UK.com are notable for sharing fake articles.
Gokongwei gifting Duterte with a bulletproof luxury car is a hoax!
Sources: (newsinfo.inquirer.net, gmanetwork.com, topgear.com, newsinfo.inquirer.net)
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