Amid strong Habagat rainstorms that caused massive flooding in many areas in the country last week, several posts commended the local government of Davao City for its swift response. This needs context. The photo used was from a relief operation in 2022.
Published on July 26, the online posts praised Davao City for its supposed disaster response for those affected by rainstorms intensified by Typhoon Carina. One of the posts on X bore this caption:
“Duterte brand of leadership: Hindi nila inaangkin ang perang ginamit for relief donation. Totoong may puso at hindi kumikilos para sa sariling interes (They are not claiming the funds used for relief donations. They have a true heart and do not act out of self-interest).”
The posts also attached a photo of several yellow trucks carrying relief goods. The following can be read on the tarpaulin shielding the relief packs from the rain: “FROM THE PEOPLE OF DAVAO CITY”.
A reverse image search shows that the photo of the relief trucks is not related to Typhoon Carina but Typhoon Paeng which hit the country in 2022.
The photo was posted on the government website of Davao City and its official Facebook (FB) page in November 2022. It showed trucks of packed goods being sent to Cotabato City and Maguindanao for communities affected by Typhoon Paeng.
In the aftermath of Typhoon Carina, SunStar in its July 26 report said the Office of Civil Defence in Davao has allocated P20 million worth of financial assistance for those affected by the typhoon although it has not started its typhoon relief drive and is awaiting a response from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The erroneous posts emerged two days after Vice President Sara Duterte and her family flew out of the Philippines while parts of the country were placed under a state of calamity, earning the ire of the public.
Published by FB pages For The Motherland – Sass Rogando Sasot (created on Aug. 18, 2016) and Juan for Inday – Cebu (Feb. 10, 2022) the posts collectively garnered over 19,000 reactions, 1,900 comments and 7,900 shares. Twitter X user @carlabrews also made a post with the erroneous context that gained over 326,800 impressions and 600 interactions.
