A clip supposedly taken inside a mall in Cebu as the 6.9 magnitude quake struck on Sept. 30 is circulating online. This is false. The video was taken in Japan in 2024.
Hours after a strong quake shook Bogo City and nearby areas in Central Visayas, a TikTok user posted a 37-second video showing mall-goers taking cover as the ground trembled. The video bore the text:
“CEBU EARTHQUAKE.”
The caption also read:
“Please Pray for CEBU. 6.9 magnitude earthquake hits cebu. Sobrang lakas ng lindol (the earthquake was really strong). Stay safe. #earthquake #lindol #cebu #staysafe #viralvideo.”
Facebook users have since posted copies of the video.
These posts are false. They use an old video taken in Japan in 2024, not from the Sept. 30 Cebu temblor.
Instagram user Kteramae uploaded the original copy on Jan. 1, 2024.
According to news organizations that carried the original video, the clip was taken at a mall in Oyabe City when a 7.5 magnitude quake hit Japan on New Year’s Day in 2024. This resulted in massive infrastructure damage, with later reports indicating that the quake-related fatalities were likely to have surpassed 500.
The misleading video circulated hours after a 6.7 magnitude quake hit Bogo City and nearby areas in Cebu at around 10 p.m. on Sept. 30. According to the latest data from the Office of Civil Defense, at least 69 quake-related deaths had been recorded as of Oct. 1.
The whole province of Cebu has since been placed under a state of calamity.
VERA Files has debunked other old videos from earthquakes given incorrect context.
The false post uploaded by TikTok user @senateph_circus had garnered 5,772 reactions, 1,176 shares and 395,800 views as of writing. Copies of the video with erroneous context have since been shared on FB.
