Several Facebook (FB) posts are circulating an image allegedly showing the devastation caused by Typhoon Paeng to Cotabato City. The photo was from a scene taken in Australia.
The image was posted on Oct. 28, featuring houses and buildings submerged in floodwater and the text “Cotabato City” superimposed at the center. The uploaders’ captions called for help and relief for the city as Paeng made its way through the archipelago.
Uploaded alongside the image were other photos showing the havoc caused by the storm in different parts of the country.
The circulating photo is not in Cotabato City.
A reverse image search reveals that the photo, sans the “Cotabato” text, was originally published by an Australia-based FB user on Feb. 28 and showed flooding in Brisbane. It was republished by Australian news media ABC News in a Sept. 1 article on flood review recommendations.
The false image spread the same day Typhoon Paeng approached the country then a day before it made landfall. The typhoon’s onslaught lasted through the weekend and resulted in 121 dead, 103 injured and 36 missing, as of publishing.
At least 10 FB groups and pages have published the photo with the false label, collectively garnering over 6,600 reactions, 240 comments and 2,200 shares. Its top traffic generators are FB pages Idol MOTO (created on Aug. 30, 2021), Ibrahim Kaisy-إبراهيم القيسي (April 24, 2018) and A Soldier’s Love (May 30, 2012).
(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)