FACT CHECK: Asian, European billionaires have not allied with Marcos due to hidden account

Claim: Billionaires from Southeast Asia and Europe have allied themselves with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. because of the family’s hidden wealth.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The false claim on YouTube was posted by PweDelie TV with the title: “GRABE ASEAN EUROPEAN UNION BILLIONAIRES NAKIISA NA KAY PRES BBM SIKRETONG DAHILAN MARCOS ACCOUNT?” (Wow, ASEAN-European Union billionaires are supporting President BBM; Marcos account is the secret reason?). The video has 30,000 views and 98 comments as of writing.

What the video shows: The video shows a document dated October 4, 1976, purportedly a certificate of “Re-confirmation of Trust Deposit in trust to 9 World Bank and 7 IMF-El Banco Espanol Offshore Capital de TVM” supposedly issued by the Office of the President of the Philippines. 

The signatures of former president Ferdinand E. Marcos, former US President Gerald Ford, and Queen Elizabeth II are also shown on the alleged certificate. However, it does not explicitly mention that the trust deposit belongs to the Marcoses.

The video does not present additional evidence to support its claim. Instead, it goes on to show footage of the May 25 gala dinner of the Joint European Union (EU)-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Business Council and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines. The transcript of the briefing does not mention any supposed Marcos account.

In his speech, Marcos highlighted the Philippines’ economic recovery, the government’s commitment to creating an environment conducive to business, the importance of renewable energy, and the desire to strengthen trade relations with the EU through a bilateral Free Trade Agreement.

No evidence: Rappler’s fact checkers have consistently refuted assertions made by the same YouTube channel about the Marcos family’s alleged gold accounts.

Despite the absence of evidence and supporting documents, unfounded claims about the family’s hidden wealth persistently circulate online:

• FACT CHECK: Marcos’ gold account won’t be used to advance science and tech in PH
• FACT CHECK: Marcos’ gold account won’t be used for biofertilizer distribution
• FACT CHECK: Marcos’ gold account won’t be used to strengthen PH agriculture
• FACT CHECK: DPWH projects not funded by Marcos gold account’s earned interest 
• FACT CHECK: Video doesn’t show Marcos has huge amount of gold hidden in Japan
• FACT CHECK: Video doesn’t show Marcos has Saudi Arabia gold account
• FACT CHECK: Marcos doesn’t have ‘over a million metric tons’ of gold in banks worldwide
• FACT CHECK: Marcos doesn’t have ‘over a million metric tons’ of gold in banks worldwide
• FACT CHECK: Marcos Sr. Letter of Instruction prescribing distribution of gold does not exist – Jezreel Ines/Rappler
  

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