Several Facebook (FB) users published old and unrelated photos to show the destruction brought by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine in Bicol last week.
On Oct. 24, the false posts were uploaded with the same four images showing windswept trees, ruins of buildings and houses, and various items buried in mud and sand. One of the posts bore the following caption:
“PANOORIN: Ganito ang hitsura ngayon ng Bicol matapos hampasin ng Bagyong Kristine. Parang katulad ng Bagyong Yolanda sa Leyte noong 2013.
(WATCH: This is the state of Bicol now after it was hit by typhoon Kristine. It is just like when typhoon Yolanda hit Leyte in 2013).”
All of the photos are old. Using reverse image search, VERA Files Fact Check found that they were taken either in the aftermath of Typhoon Reming in 2006 or Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.
(Note: Click on the photos to go to their original sources.)
VERA Files Fact Check had debunked similar false posts which carried two of the photos above when Typhoon Rolly hit the country in 2020.
The new, false posts continued to circulate a week after Kristine wreaked havoc in several areas, but most particularly in the Bicol region. The government reported that Kristine left 111 dead, 74 injured, and 30 missing as of Oct. 29.
FB page Philippine Weather System/Pacific Storm Update (created on July 28) and three other FB users spread the photos with the untrue context, collectively garnering over 390 reactions, 200 comments and 710 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.)