A 2018 Facebook post of columnist Bobi Tiglao claiming that the late president Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III rewarded former Commission on Audit (COA) commissioner Heidi Mendoza with a United Nations nomination has resurfaced online. This is false.
The item reappeared as early as March 25 after X and Thread users reposted the screenshot of the original post, which reads:
Remember her? An Aquino appointee to the COA who had retired already, she falsely testified (portraying herself to be objective as she was with COA) that $28 million entered Corona’s dollar holdings. She devilishly counted a $100 deposit and a $100 withdrawal as $200. In reality, Corona had just $1 m. When she was ordered out of the witness stand, Ombudsman Morales simply read Heidi’s false report.
Aquino of course richly rewarded her by nominating her to that UN post.
Ang kapal nito na sasalita-salita pa ngayon, (She is so shameless and now continues to talk) claiming COA is a respected institution. It was she who made COA Aquino’s deadly weapon.
Mendoza was nominated by former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon for the position of undersecretary-general for the Office of Internal Oversight Services in 2015.
She was appointed COA commissioner in April 2011, but there is no evidence to show her UN nomination was a reward for her role in the trial of former chief justice Renato Corona, who was impeached in December of 2011, and convicted in May 2012.
It was her qualifications and extensive experience in audit and anti-corruption work that were key factors in her selection for the UN post.
Read the full story on VERA Files Fact Check.