Several posts on Facebook (FB) published a video of the Taal Volcano erupting and emitting a tall column of ash. This is an old video of the volcano’s eruption.
The 45-second video shows onlookers watching Taal from across the lake discharging huge amounts of ash and smoke. One of the posts published as an FB Reel carried this caption:
The old video re-emerged on Aug. 19, the day the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that vog or volcanic smog was observed from Taal.
The Batangas Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the Tagaytay Tourism Culture Development Office also debunked the circulating video, stating that it was published in 2020 and not a recent footage of the Taal Volcano.
VERA Files Fact Check debunked a similar claim about the video last year.
Back then, Ma. Antonia Bornas, chief of the Phivolcs’ Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division, said: “These were definitely taken during the beginning of the 2020 Taal eruption, made evident by the presence of already obliterated foliage on Volcano Island.”
In 2020, the Taal Volcano spewed out gas, ash and lava into the air. Several nearby local governments had to suspend classes and work after dark ashes covered the sky.
The video was revived earlier this week and given a false context as several local governments announced the suspension of classes due to the high level of volcanic smog from the volcano.
As of Aug. 22, Taal is still on alert level 1 with low-level unrest and no seismic activity recorded, according to Phivolcs.
The video with an inaccurate caption shared by four FB users collectively garnered 4,870 reactions, 300 comments, 1,080 shares and 604,400 views.
