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VERA FILES FACT CHECK: FALSE text on Davao City bomb threats circulates anew

WHAT WAS CLAIMED

Some areas of Davao City will be bombed on a Sunday.

OUR VERDICT

False:

The text warning netizens about possible bombing in some areas of Davao City is not true according to the Davao City Police Office. The message has been circulating online as early as 2016.

By VERA Files

Feb 16, 2024

2-minute read
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A text warning netizens about possible bombings in some areas of Davao City has been shared on Facebook (FB) and private messaging platforms. This is not true. The Davao City Police (DCPO) is now tracking the source of this false information .

The same text circulated online in 2016. 

On Jan. 31, a FB user posted a text claiming that a terror act will happen on a “Sunday” in certain places in Davao City. The text read: 

“To all residents of davao, this source was from a reliable friend who lived in jolo, Sulo..

 

Brod, paki alerto mo diha sa Davao ako mismo nakadungog nanawag ang taga taas na ig agaw sa amoang silingan ang Abreeza, SM sa Lanang San Pedro nga simbahan inyong terminal, palengke sa bangkerohan, Gaisano mall og katong Matina crossing ang bombahan nila karong dommingo. Bay ayaw kahadlok og plastar sa mensahe para daghan maluwas (Brother, please be alert in Davao. I myself heard that a person from above called (to say) that the neighborhood in Abreeza, SM in Lanang, the church and terminal in San Pedro, the market in Bankerohan, Gaisano mall and Matina crossing will be bombed this Sunday. Don’t be afraid to spread the message so that many can be saved).

 

Pls extend this message to all Dabawenyos. Don’t let evil win. magkaisa tayong mga taga Davao (We, Davao people, should unite).

Several netizens were alarmed while others asked about the claim’s legitimacy. 

On Feb. 1, the DCPO debunked the post as “fake news.” 

Davao City Police urge the people of Davao City to coordinate with us by providing any information to locate the source of false information causing panic and fear among residents. We humbly request not to spread fake news or believe unreliable sources,” a portion of the statement read. 

The Davao City Police Office is tracking the source of a false information warning netizens about possible bombings in some areas of Davao City and warned of legal repercussions in sharing it.

The message has been circulating online as early as 2016.

The DCPO also warned netizens of the legal repercussions of sharing false information online.

The same text started circulating online as early as Sept. 3, 2016, a day after the explosion at the Roxas Night Market in Davao City that killed 17 people.

The message resurfaced days after a prayer rally was held in the city where former president Rodrigo Duterte alleged that President Bongbong Marcos was on the drug watchlist of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. PDEA has since denied the allegation. (Read Rodrigo Duterte’s claim that President Marcos is on PDEA narco-list is baseless

VERA Files Fact Check also debunked a similar false text warning netizens about a ‘second war’ in Mindanao that reemerged last December.  (Read FALSE post about ‘second war’ in Mindanao resurfaces

FB user Davao Spotted’s (created on Oct. 11, 2023) post was shared 675 times by netizens. Other FB netizens also reposted the same text.

Have you seen any dubious claims, photos, memes, or online posts that you want us to verify? Fill out this reader request form or send it to VERA, the truth bot on Viber.

(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)

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