Fact check: Misleading claims that Marcos almost died due to near plane crash surface
MANILA, Philippines — The plane carrying President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. encountered a technical glitch on June 14 but was not in danger of crashing, contrary to claims by YouTube vloggers.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s life was not in danger when the plane that was supposed to take him to South Cotabato encountered a minor technical glitch on June 14, contrary to claims by YouTube vloggers.
CLAIM: The presidential jet carrying President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. almost crashed shortly after takeoff, placing his life in danger.
RATING: This is misleading.
FACTS:
What the videos say
YouTube channel “PRINCESS MAUI” posted a video on June 16 alleging that Marcos nearly died when the plane he was riding almost crashed.
The video used the title: “PBBM, TIGOK NA SANA! MUNTIK NANG MAG-CRASH ANG EROPLANO (PBBM, ALMOST DEAD! PLANE ALMOST CRASHED)”
The president is commonly referred to in government and by his supporters as PBBM, which stands for President Bongbong Marcos.
At the 4:10-4:20 mark, the vlogger claimed that Marcos almost died in a plane crash.
“Kahapon noong sya ay papunta nang South Cotabato muntik muntik na syang ma tegi boom boom dahil ang kanilang eroplano ay muntikan nang magcrash (Yesterday, when he was on his way to South Cotabato, he almost died because their airplane almost crashed),” the vlogger said.
Tegi in gay speak in the Philippines is a slang that refers to being dead.
The vlogger also included screencaps from the news articles of UNTV and Abante about the aircraft problems that delayed Marcos’ arrival in South Cotabato.
Articles from both UNTV and Abante cited the statement of Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil, who told the media in a text message that the plane that was supposed to bring Marcos to South Cotabato had to return to base shortly after takeoff to due to technical issues.
YouTube vlogger “Streetwise with Takeru Miyamoto” also posted a video on June 14 making the same misleading claim. His video had the title “PRESIDENT MARCOS, MUNTIK NG MAAKSIDENTE ANG EROPLANO SINASAKYAN (PRESIDENT MARCOS, PLANE ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT).
What the videos left out
The G280 command and control aircraft carrying Marcos returned to Villamor Airbase a few minutes after takeoff due to a “minor technical issue on the aircraft’s flap operations,” according to a statement sent to media by Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesperson Consuelo Castillo.
“It is nothing serious, but since the PAF maintains the highest standards of flight safety, the pilots decided to do a precautionary return to base and have the aircraft thoroughly checked,” Castillo said.
“There was a ready backup aircraft, which is a C295, and so the presidential movement was resumed immediately,” the PAF spokesperson added.
Garafil also said in another message to reporters that the "President is OK,” as reported by The Philippine Star, ABS-CBN News, Inquirer.net and CNN Philippines.
Garafil added that the G280 was also able to fly later on and was used to fly Marcos from General Santos City to Bicol.
According to the airplane flying handbook by the United States government's Federal Aviation Administration, airplanes that cannot extend their wing flaps would need a “no-flap approach and landing.” It noted: “In light airplanes, a no-flap approach and landing is not particularly difficult or dangerous."
According to its technical specifications on Airforce-Technology, a news website focusing on military aerospace, the Gulfstream G280 aircraft is a "super midsized business jet" that can transport 12-15 individuals, including pilots and crew. It can also land on small runways.
Neither PAF nor the Presidential Communications Office mentioned that Marcos was placed in danger due to the technical glitch of the aircraft.
Essential context
Marcos visited South Cotabato to grace the provincial government's launch of its Consolidated Rice Production and Mechanization Program.
The president concurrently serves as agriculture secretary and has refused to name a replacement, saying that he is waiting for “systems to be in place” before he will appoint a new secretary.
Marcos and other members of his Cabinet also typically go on several domestic and foreign trips for various reasons.
Why we fact-checked this
The video posted by YouTube vlogger "PRINCESS MAUI" has gathered more than 2,600 views and 73 comments. The vlogger has more than 16,000 subscribers on the platform.
Meanwhile, the posted by YouTube channel "Streetwise with Takeru Miyamoto" has accumulated more than 4,000 views and 144 comments. His channel has more than 67,000 subscribers.
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