After a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao, a Facebook page posted a video claiming that a tsunami had hit Sarangani, a coastal province in Soccsksargen, on June 8. The post is misleading.
Published on the same day, the video features an audio of a woman reporting:
“Nakaranas na ng tsunami ang ilang lugar sa Mindanao dulot ng magnitude 7.8 na lindol na tumama sa mismong unang araw ng pasukan. Unang nasaksihan ang tsunami waves sa Sarangani kaninang 7:42 ng umaga. Dinatnan na rin ng matataas na alon ang mga bayan ng Kiamba at Kalamansig, pati ang Mati, Davao Oriental.
(Some areas in Mindanao have already experienced a tsunami triggered by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck on the first day of classes. The tsunami waves were first observed in Sarangani at 7:42 a.m. Tall waves have also reached the towns of Kiamba and Kalamansig, as well as Mati, Davao Oriental).”
A reverse image search revealed that the video was from an FB user’s post, which was used by the Philippine News Agency in its report on Nov. 9, 2025. The video did not show a tsunami in Sarangani, but strong waves during the onslaught of Super Typhoon Uwan in Dinapigue, Isabela.
While a tsunami did occur following the June 8 earthquake, the video circulated misrepresents both the location and the event.
The audio used in the inaccurate video was from One PH reports by Cheryl Cosim, a Filipino journalist and news anchor known for her work on One Balita Pilipinas.
Based on reports from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, a magnitude 7.8 tectonic earthquake struck at 7:37 a.m., with its epicenter located 32 km offshore west of Maasim. It was classified as a “major” event that affected Sarangani and nearby provinces.
Due to its destructive intensity, the tsunami was recorded along the coasts of Kiamba and Maasim in Sarangani, Kalamansig in Sultan Kudarat, and the cities of Mati and Zamboanga, as noted by the DOST-PHIVOLCS sea level monitoring stations.
The misleading clip surfaced two hours after the powerful earthquake struck parts of Mindanao. Sarangani has been placed under a state of calamity.
Published by Facebook page Hener Glua (created on June 12, 2016), the inaccurate post has so far garnered 12,900 reactions; 362 comments; and 4,000 shares.
