Amid the onslaught of Tropical Storms Dante and Emong, a photo circulating on Facebook claims to show Bulacan province supposedly submerged in roof-level floodwaters. This is false.
Published on July 24, the photo included an overlaid text that read:
“Naku po (Oh my) Bulacan. CTTO “
The caption of the post stated:
“Bulacan Lubog sa tubig mga bahay bubong nalang ang nakikita. Mag iingat ang lahat (Bulacan houses submerged in water only roofs are visible. Take care everyone) #cttocredittotherightfulowner”
A reverse image search reveals that the photo was actually a screenshot from a video taken in southern Brazil last year.
The original clip, posted on TikTok on May 6, 2024, shows an aerial view of flood-affected areas in Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. Several buildings and landmarks, including the Arena do Grêmio stadium, are visibly submerged in floodwaters.
The viral image being shared is a screengrab taken at the 00:10 mark of the video.
In the caption of the original footage, the TikTok user wrote in Portuguese: “RS ASKS FOR HELP #ajudeors #riograndedosul”. The location of the post was tagged as Porto Alegre, the capital and largest city in Rio Grande do Sul.
Severe flooding struck southern Brazil in May 2024, displacing 115,000 residents and causing 78 fatalities, according to news reports.
The false image surfaced as Tropical Storms Dante and Emong brought heavy rainfall and widespread flooding in many parts of Luzon.
As of writing, the photo posted by Facebook user D-Ann N. Pabillar (created April 29, 2014) has so far garnered 142,000 reactions, 35,000 shares and 27,300 comments.
