A YouTube video claims that Philippine FA-50 fighter jets bombed a “monster ship” of the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). This is not true.
The country’s armed forces did not launch an armed offensive against China. The video manipulated news articles to claim that such an operation took place.
Uploaded on Jan. 13, the untrue video bore the headline:
“BREAKING!🔴FA-50 FIGTHER JETS NG PILIPINAS INARMASAN NA!🔴MONSTER SHIP NG CHINA PINASABOG SA WPS (FA-50 fighter jets of the Philippines already armed! Monster ship of China was bombed in the WPS)!”
Its thumbnail also carried the text:
“MONSTER SHIP PINASABOG! MALAKING GULO TO SA WEST PHILIPPINE SEA. PILIPINAS HINDI NAGPATINAG SA CHINA. FIGHTER JETS INARMASAN NA (Monster ship was bombed! This is a major conflict in the West Philippine Sea. Philippines was not intimidated by China. Fighter jets have been armed)!”
There were no reports from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and CCG nor from any local or international media about the event, which would have made headlines worldwide if it were true.
To support its claim, the video showed an opinion column supposedly from the state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN), titled: “China Condemns Philippine Fighter Jet’s Shooting at Chinese Coast Guard Vessels Patrolling the South China Sea.”
A cursory search revealed that there is no such article on the CGTN website.
The video also featured an altered version of an article from Global Times, another state-owned media outlet of the Chinese Communist Party. The fake article bore this headline: “Philippine Fighter Jets that fired at Chinese Naval Vessels in the South China Sea were loaded with anti-ship missiles.”
Instead, the original Global Times article published on Aug. 28, 2024 criticized the United States for provoking tensions in the region over suggestions about its military escorting Philippine ships in the WPS. Its headline read:
“US fans flames as Philippines keeps provoking China in South China Sea”
The untrue video emerged two days after the Philippine Coast Guard reported that the CCG deployed its 165-meter, 12,000-ton “monster ship” CCG-5901 along the coast of Zambales on Jan. 11.
The monster ship left the Zambales coastline on Jan. 19 but has since been replaced by another CCG vessel.
The false video was uploaded by YouTube channel Summit Media Philippines – which is unrelated to the digital lifestyle network and former magazine publishing company of the same name – and received 51,640 interactions.
