There were accusations that Aquino wore the necklace during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit on November 18-19, 2015, which was held a week before the BSP appraisal.
However, the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) released a statement on to The Philippine Star on December 2015, saying that Aquino has no access to Imelda’s seized jewelry, considering that it was safely stored at BSP’s high security vault.
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According to the PCGG, one needs four keys to access that vault and these keys are held by four different agencies – the PCGG, the Commission on Audit, the Bureau of Customs, and the Office of the President.
PCGG commissioner Andrew de Castro said, “It’s impossible to have been taken from the Central Bank vault and returned just in time for our appraisal the week after.”
He added that Aquino’s necklace “looks completely different” from Imelda’s.
If you look at the photos of the necklaces closely, you’d notice the differences between the two.
Imelda’s necklace is adorned with small dark jewels connecting the diamonds to each other, which you can’t see in Aquino’s necklace. Zoom in and you’ll see other differences, such as the smaller diamonds on the innermost layer of the necklace and the additional diamonds that would look like a pendant.
Aquino did not use or borrow any of Imelda’s jewelry, unlike what many netizens accused her of doing. It pays to be very observant before blabbering about it, especially online.
Be Informed. Beat the Trolls, Share the Truth!
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