A message supposedly from the Philippine National Police (PNP) warning people against buying candles from strangers who allegedly use this modus operandi for illegal organ harvesting has been revived on Facebook (FB).
The post, first published in 2016, re-emerged last month, prompting the PNP to issue a denial.
Alerted by VERA Files Fact Check of the circulating post, the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) released this statement on July 16: “Huwag maniniwala sa mga mensaheng nagsasabing galing ito sa PNP (Don’t believe in messages saying this came from the PNP).”
The message, first posted by a netizen on Sept. 15, 2016, read:
“Kung mayroong nag titinda ng kandila tapos hindi mo kakilala, huwag kang kumuha kahit pautangin ka pa. Pag naka-amoy ka nito mahihimatay ka at dadalhin ka nila para ibenta ang iyong body parts/organs for transplant, mga miyembro sila ng sindikato, lahat ng lugar target nila ngayon.”
(If a stranger sells you candles, don’t get one even if they ask you to buy it on credit. If you smell the candle, you will faint. Members of syndicates will bring you to sell your body parts and organs for transplant. They are targeting all places. Like and share so your friends will know.)
VERA Files Fact Check found versions of these messages that pointed to PNP Cebu and PNP Davao as the purported sources of information.
False advisory on kidnapping via van
Another version of the false ‘kandila modus’ message, which appeared on June 21 and July 8, also included another message that warned the public about people who allegedly use vans to abduct children and female teenagers. The message read:
“Paki kalat daw, plate # ng mga nangunguha ng bata pati mga dalaga. Van na green XMM-507, at white van VXM-351. From San Jose PNP, pls pass (Please spread this, plate numbers of those who abduct children and teenage women. Green van XMM-507, and white van VXM-351.”
No province with a “PNP San Jose” was specified, but at least two stations with the identification denied the claim.
PNP San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan issued a statement in 2022, saying it is “fake news” and asked people to “please stop spreading the message.”
In 2019, the Manila Bulletin quoted Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong — spokesperson of PNP Police Regional Office 6 at the time — who said the message did not come from them.
A keyword search on Google shows that the false kidnapping advisory first appeared as a tweet dated Jan. 29, 2013 by taekwondo practitioner Japoy Lizardo.
The false PNP message dated June 21 garnered 189 reactions, 43 comments, and 14,000 shares on social media. Another post, dated July 1, got 5,376 reactions, 1,132 comments, and 305,049 shares.
