Amid the rising cases of influenza-like illnesses in the Philippines, an impostor Facebook page has posted numerous claims about a supposed lockdown and suspension of classes and office work in some parts of the country. These are fake.
Both the Department of Health and the Department of Social Welfare and Development have issued statements debunking the fake claims. Some local government units have also refuted the circulating FB posts.
The links included in the posts, which supposedly list areas on lockdown and suspension, lead to a dubious website pretending to be that of the Philippine government.
Bogus lockdown claim
Since Oct. 16, the FB page has posted at least five versions of fabricated graphic cards announcing an alleged lockdown in different parts of Metro Manila such as in Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig and Valenzuela.
Other copies of the same card layout circulated fake lockdown claims in some areas outside the capital, including Calabarzon, Northern Luzon, Central Visayas and Mindanao. The supposed measures were said to take effect between Oct. 19 and 25.
One of the cards even included an alleged curfew due to “influenza virus cases,” allegedly in effect from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in certain areas.
Fake ‘Walang Pasok,’ work suspensions
Aside from lockdown claims, the FB page, posing as that of the DSWD, also circulated at least six posts alleging that classes had been suspended or that learning modalities had shifted from face-to-face to modular in Metro Manila and other provinces.
The fabricated announcements listed varying dates for the suspension, ranging from Oct. 22 to Nov. 1. Some graphic cards claimed that the break would last until Nov. 31 – a date that does not exist since November has only 30 days.
One post published on Oct. 18 claimed that office work in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Cebu City, Bicol, Davao Region, Palawan and Zambales would be suspended from Oct. 20 to Oct. 25 due to a “red alert” caused by the rising cases of “influenza virus.”
No flu outbreak
On Oct. 17, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa denied the lockdown rumors and stated that the reported illness is common during the rainy season.
“There is no planned lockdown; that is fake news. What we have is seasonal respiratory illnesses, so it’s not a flu outbreak,” Herbosa was quoted as saying in a news report.
The local government units of Quezon City, Cavite, Valenzuela and Quezon province also released statements to clarify that there will be no lockdown in their respective areas.
In a Facebook post on Oct. 17, the DSWD warned the public against the fake page that has been impersonating the agency.
“Mag-ingat sa pekeng Facebook page na ‘DSWD TELEVISION’ na ginagamit ang pangalan at logo ng DSWD kahit pa ito ay may blue badge. Walang direktiba ang ahensya tungkol sa lockdown sa mga nasabing lugar. Ang naturang page ay hindi konektado o awtorisado ng Kagawaran at naglalaman ng maling impormasyon
(Beware of the fake Facebook page ‘DSWD TELEVISION’ that uses the name and logo of DSWD even though it has a blue badge. The agency has no directive about a lockdown in those areas. The said page is neither connected nor authorized by the agency and it contains wrong information),” the agency said in a post.
While the Department of Education suspended face-to-face classes in public schools on Oct. 13 and 14, there were no recent directives ordering a suspension of classes in numerous areas.
The fabricated posts surfaced after the Department of Health recorded 6,457 influenza-like cases nationwide from Sept. 28 to Oct. 11. They were lower than the 10,740 cases logged from Sept. 14 to 27.
As of writing, the posts published by FB page DSWD Televsion (created Sept. 3, 2025) have collectively garnered 4,155 reactions, 2,607 shares and 973 comments.
