Several Facebook (FB) pages posted a video claiming Kris Aquino has passed away and that her family is deliberately hiding her wake from the public. This is a sham.
Posted on Nov. 23, the three-minute and 30-second video bore the caption:
“GRABE! UNANG GABI NG LAMAY SA BUROL NI KRIS AQUINO DINAGSA NG MGA TAO, KAIBIGAN AT KAMAG-ANAK (SEVERE! FIRST NIGHT OF KRIS AQUINO’S WAKE FLOCKED BY PEOPLE, FRIENDS AND RELATIVES).”
At the start of the fake video, a narrator claimed a netizen took videos of Aquino’s wake allegedly held in Quezon City.
The narrator said:
“Pagkatapos magviral na pumanaw na si Kris Aquino at dinala na nga ang kanyang katawan dito sa Pilipinas ay usap-usapan ngayon ang mga videos na kung saan may isang concerned netizens na nakakuha nito tungkol sa lamay nga ng nasabing sikat na TV host at aktres. Doon daw mismo ito ginanap sa Quezon City sa kanilang pamamahay ng mga Aquino residence
(After Kris Aquino’s passing went viral and her body was brought to the Philippines, videos from a concerned netizen about the wake of the popular TV host and actress are being talked about. Her wake was said to be in Quezon City at the Aquino residence).”
The photo of the wake at the 15-second mark of the video insinuated that it was footage shot by the netizen.
This is fake. Aquino is alive and continues to receive treatment for her autoimmune conditions in the United States.
The photo of the coffin in the video was from the wake of late veteran actress Susan Roces in May this year, uploaded by the official FB account of her daughter Sen. Grace Poe. The original photo was reversed and cropped to deceive netizens.
The rest of the clip featured a slideshow of Aquino’s photos while receiving treatment, as well as photos with friend Angel Locsin and ex-fiancé former Interior and Local Government Sec. Mel Sarmiento. It also used two unrelated images of patients at two different hospitals in Texas from 2013 and 2021.
The video further speculated that the Aquino family is hiding the actress’ wake from the public because “they don’t want it” to be “politicized,” as she is a daughter of the “enemies” of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
On Nov. 24, after months of silence on social media, Aquino gave an update on her Instagram account and said she is starting a new round of diagnosis and treatment.
Several netizens thought the actress died and offered condolences, while others criticized the pages for spreading disinformation.
At least 10 FB pages shared the fake video, such as Raffy Tulfo Love Idol (created on Aug. 27, 2021), Fans Raffy Tulfo Supporters (Aug. 27, 2021) and Philippines Training New Live (Oct. 4, 2020), collectively garnering 5,098 reactions, 2,431 comments, 971 shares and 392,500 views.
YouTube channel PH NEWS NGAYON (Oct. 21, 2019) also uploaded the video garnering 15,560 views.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)