Natgeo admits airing ‘unrevised’ Malacañang docu

MANILA, Philippines – The National Geographic Channel has admitted that it had “inadvertently” aired an unrevised version of its Inside Malacañang documentary last Sunday, March 18.

In a statement, a channel official said it had revised the voice over footage showing then President Corazon Aquino crossing the Pasig River at the height of the 1989 coup attempt to visit the Presidential Security Group Hospital on the other side of the river.

President Benigno S. Aquino III had pointed out the inaccuracy during the preview of the documentary held in Malacañang, according to Natgeo.

Natgeo said this was corrected, “but the wrong version was broadcast on March 18.”

Some viewers have criticized the documentary, though others praised it for its skillful camera work. On Twitter Sunday night, Communications Undersecretary Manolo Quezon himself corrected the portion about Mrs Aquino taking the ferry, since the documentary said she was trying to flee the Palace. Quezon said Mrs Aquino merely wanted to visit the wounded who were on the other side of the Pasig River.

Below is the full statement of Jude Turcuato, FOX International Channels VP and Philippines territory head:

“We would like to assure the President and the viewing public that succeeding airings will reflect the accurate account of the events that happened. National Geographic strives for the utmost accuracy in its documentaries, and deeply regrets that an unrevised version was broadcast.”

“We apologize to our viewers for the technical error. We already revised the materials to make it accurate which is what we strive to have. Unfortunately, despite all our efforts, an unforeseen machine problem happened,” Turcuato added.

“We pride ourselves in getting the facts right and we take this matter very seriously. We assure our viewers that the final cut reflects the accurate account of the events that happened,” Turcuato said.

“Nevertheless, we are very grateful for the overall experience of being able to document and bring Malacañang closer to the Filipino people and the rest of the world through this documentary.” – Rappler.com