Images of coins used during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines have been shared tens of thousands of times on Facebook alongside the claim that they are back in circulation after his son won the presidency last month. However, the Philippine central bank which has sole authority of issuing currency in the country, told AFP the coins have not been in use for two decades.
The post — shared more than 54,000 times — states: “Quick congrats Central Bank better than before!”
The one-peso, 25-cent, 10-cent, five-cent and one-cent coin denominations are engraved with text that reads “ANG BAGONG LIPUNAN”.
It translates to “The New Society” — the popular term used by the late dictator Marcos to describe his vision of an improved Philippines.
In reality, he left the Philippines bankrupt, and killed, tortured, and jailed tens of thousands of opponents during his corrupt reign in power.
The post circulated following the landslide victory of his son, Ferdinand Marcos Jr — an astonishing reversal in the fortunes of the Marcos family, who have gone from the presidential palace to pariahs and back again in the space of a few decades.
However, a representative for the central bank of the Philippines told AFP the posts are “misleading”.
“The coins featured in the online post belong to the old Ang Bagong Lipunan (ABL) coin series. The ABL coin series was already considered demonetised after 2 January 1998,” the representative told AFP on May 30.
Read the full story on AFP Fact Check.