Aquino monument tent incident draws flak

The monument of the late Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. in Tarlac City was covered by a tent during a campaign rally for presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

A plastic bag containing garbage was also spotted at the foot of Ninoy's statue.

The incident occurred on April 2, 2022, as the Marcos-Duterte tandem campaigned in Tarlac City.

Tarlac City administrator Numer Lobo stated that the tent was inadvertently moved towards the monument due to the influx of people and the need for shelter from the sun, asserting it was unintentional and not meant to disrespect Aquino.

The local government lamented that the incident was used to spread divisiveness and contradicted the rally's message of hope, positivity, and unity.

Tarlac City Mayor Cristy Angeles urged forgiveness and healing, dismissing criticisms on the treatment of the statue and stating it was time to unite and move on from political quarrels.

Senatoriable candidate Gilbert Teodoro suggested that any incident would have been unintentional, emphasizing the UniTeam's message of unity and mutual respect.