A post on Facebook (FB) is claiming that a storm larger than the “map of the Philippines” is heading toward the country. This is false.
Published by an FB page on Sept. 5, the spurious post read:
“Hala!! May parating pa raw na MALAKING BAGYO, MAS MALAKI PA RAW SA MAPA NG PILIPINAS, sana di matuloy, IPAGDASAL NATIN ANG KALIGTASAN NG LAHAT, AMEN.
(Oh, no! There is a huge typhoon coming, bigger than the map of the Philippines. I hope it does not push through. Let us pray for the safety of everyone, Amen.)”
It also included a blurry and undated weather map taken from Windy.com, a website that visualizes weather forecasts. It showed a huge depression forming west of the country.
There is no such typhoon. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) debunked this claim.
In a Sept. 11 call with VERA Files Fact Check, PAGASA weather specialist Veronica Torres denied the existence of such a large typhoon. “We’re monitoring continuously and we do not see any typhoon bigger or as huge as the Philippines. That is too big,” she said in Filipino.
According to PAGASA’s Sept. 11 tropical cyclone bulletin, a tropical depression outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) strengthened into a tropical storm named Bebinca while passing Guam. The agency’s weather map does not show Bebinca to be the size claimed by the spurious FB post.
The false FB post continues to spread this week as PAGASA monitors tropical storm Bebinca, which is expected to enter the country on Friday, Sept. 13, and exit the next day. The agency forecasts that the storm will enhance the southwest monsoon, potentially bringing heavy rainfall in some parts of the country.
FB page DREAM B. (created on Jan. 31) published the false post, garnering over 1,900 reactions, 790 comments and 580 shares.
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(Editor's Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
