In the middle of the holiday season’s celebrations, a graphic started circulating online claiming that the Department of Education has prohibited the holding of Christmas parties in schools. This is fake. DepEd did not make such an announcement.
From Nov. 30 until the first two weeks of December, Facebook users have been sharing the graphic featuring the logos of GMA Integrated News and DepEd. The graphic bore the text:
“ANNOUNCEMENT. NO MORE CHRISTMAS PARTY. ELEMENTARY, HIGH SCHOOL & COLLEGE. OPISYAL NG TINANGGAL ANG CHRISTMAS PARTY SA MARAMING LUGAR SA BANSA (Christmas party officially cancelled in many places in the country).”
Other FB posts encourage netizens to click links that supposedly contain the lists of schools where the ban will be imposed.
This is fake. DepEd has since disowned the circulating announcement.
On Dec. 7, DepEd released an official advisory on its website and Facebook page, clarifying that the agency did not impose such a ban.
DepEd further encouraged Filipinos to only get official updates from its official website and social media accounts.
DepEd has released Order 52 series of 2022, which provides guidelines for Christmas celebrations in schools. It remains in force.
The graphic used the logo of GMA Integrated News, which did not publish such a report, to make the graphic look legitimate.
The links attached to some of the posts lead netizens to e-commerce platforms, showing that the fake graphic is being used for affiliate marketing purposes.
The fake graphic started circulating at the same time Trade Secretary Cristina Roque drew flak for claiming that P500 would be enough for a noche buena meal for a family of three. This prompted some netizens to criticize DepEd for supposedly depriving children of the “spirit of Christmas.”
VERA Files has debunked several fake announcements attributed to the education department.
Six FB posts carrying the fabricated announcement collectively garnered 6,011 reactions, 3,507 comments and 5,566 shares.
