FACT CHECK: Marcos didn’t say gov’t will take ownership of Meralco

Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his administration will take back the ownership of Meralco, an electric distribution company in the Philippines, from its private owner. 

A YouTube video posted on April 2 bears a title in Filipino that reads when translated to English: “Just in! Finally! Good news. Sudden order. PBBM recovered all. Dilawan cried!” The video bears the logo of Meralco in its thumbnail. 

It mentions and presents a clip of Marcos meeting with the Department of Energy (DOE) and other energy agencies. The claim was said to have been made during the said meeting.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video containing the claim has 1,080 views as of writing. It is also being reposted on Facebook by multiple accounts. 

The facts: Marcos did not say during the meeting that his administration would retake ownership of Meralco. His meeting with DOE and energy agencies, as presented in the video, happened on November 9, 2022, wherein they talked about the immediate and medium-term plans of the administration to develop the country’s energy industry. 

Marcos wanted the DOE to ensure that the country has sufficient energy supply and he said he was allowing the energy department to explore and develop the country’s offshore wind (OSW) potential as a source of clean and sustainable energy.

No proof: Aside from the clip of the said meeting grabbed from the YouTube channel of RTV Malacañang, no other proof supporting the false claim about Meralco was presented in the video. Instead, it just showed comments agreeing to the idea of government taking over ownership of the power distribution company.

Others: The logo of Maynilad Water Services Inc., a water distribution company, and a photo of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) were also shown in the thumbnail of the YouTube video. But neither has there been news about the government taking over Maynilad. Maynilad, according to its website, is “managed by Maynilad Water Holdings Company, Inc. – a joint venture between Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), DMCI Holdings, Inc. (DMCI) and Marubeni Corporation. The consortium took control of Maynilad on January 24, 2007.”

NAIA, on the other hand, remains government-owned and is being managed by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA). – Ailla Dela Cruz/Rappler.com

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