Videos circulating on Facebook claim that there will be a strong earthquake in the Philippines on April 22. These are fake.
Published on April 1, one video used an audio of broadcaster Erwin Tulfo interviewing Director Teresito Bacolcol of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) about a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, which may be “The Big One,” to hit Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
The erroneous video included an overlaid text and a caption that read:
“Lindol sa April 22 Pinangangambahan. Nakakatakot ang paparating.”
(An earthquake on April 22 is being feared. What’s coming is scary.”)
An earlier clip posted on Jan. 4 shows a Caucasian-looking man asking Alexa, a virtual voice service assistant, what will happen to the Philippines in 2025. The virtual assistant responded:
“On April 22, 2025 at 4:01 a.m., the Philippines will be hit by an 8.2-magnitude earthquake, causing Mayon and Pinatubo volcanoes to erupt.”
Two Facebook users repeated this narrative on April 4, echoing the claim that a major earthquake would hit the country on April 22.
No credible reports indicate an earthquake will strike on April 22.
Although the PHIVOLCS has long advised the public to prepare for The Big One, it said in an April 4 warning that “there is no reliable technology in the world that can confidently predict the exact date, time and location of large earthquakes.”
According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, scientists can only forecast the possibility of an earthquake occurring in a specific region by studying historical data. They can estimate how strong it might be and how often it could happen over a period of time. However, they cannot exactly predict when or where it will happen.
In its April 4 warning, the PHIVOLCS advised the public against “sharing or believing messages from unconfirmed or unreliable sources.”
The fear-mongering video emerged following a PHIVOLCS study projecting that a magnitude 7.2 earthquake along the West Valley Fault could cause the collapse of at least 168,000 buildings and the deaths of over 33,000 people in the National Capital Region and nearby provinces.
Earthquakes have been a hot topic on social media following the 7.7-magnitude tremor that struck Myanmar and Thailand on March 28.
The videos, posted by Facebook users Bulay G TV, Everyday Ay Trending, Lendio Jerald and Annabelle Braza Roperos, have collectively garnered 5.7 million views, 38,519 likes, 31,291 shares, and 5,317 comments as of April 15.
