A post about street food in Tagum City, allegedly from a supplier that uses dog meat, has gone viral on Facebook (FB). This has no basis.
Uploaded on March 2, the circulating post carried this text:
“Exclusive here on TAGUM Updated!
More details to follow apil na ang result sa laboratory nga amo gipa conduct gikan sa mga pipila ka samples nga nakuha namo (including results from the laboratory where we conducted using the few samples we got)!”
The graphics used were images of a siomai (Chinese dumpling) stand and the supposed chopped dog meat, with the text:
“SUPPLIER SA MGA SIOMAI UG UBAN PANG STREET FOODS SA TAGUM CITY, NAHIBAW-AN NGA GIKAN DIAY KARNE SA IRO (SUPPLIES OF SIOMAI AND OTHER STREET FOODS IN TAGUM CITY, IT WAS KNOWN, CAME FROM DOG MEAT)!”
This is an unproven claim. On March 5, the Tagum City Health Office debunked the circulating post saying it had not been validated.
“Please be advised that the circulating news about the siomai products containing dog meat is NOT validated. There [have] been no reports or [complaints] about these products from the public or any other agencies,” Tagum Health City Officer Arnel Florendo posted on FB.
Shared on the Tagum City Government’s official FB page, the statement encouraged the public to “refrain from posting unreliable information on social media, as this could cause panic and damage local livelihoods.” Local officials assured continued monitoring of the situation.
Tagum City Mayor Rey Uy also dismissed the claim as “fake news” according to local news reports.
“Klaro man ‘tong fake news. Edi nahurot ang iro sa entero Pilipinas. In a day, pila ba ka siomai mahalin? Hurot ang iro. Naa bay nag-complain nga nangawala ilang iro? Wala oy. Kanang ga-post gani sa Facebook, be responsible
(It’s clear this is fake news. Surely, dogs would have run out in the entire Philippines. In a day, how many pieces of siomai are sold? If that’s the case, dogs will surely be depleted. Has anyone complained that some dogs have gone missing? No, that’s why be responsible in posting on Facebook),” Uy was quoted saying in a March 5 Sunstar report.
The graphic also bore outdated photos. The siomai stand photo was uploaded by a Pinterest user on Jan. 14, 2015, while the dog meat Flickr image was taken in Kyungdong Market, South Korea in 2007.
The post circulated among netizens as Tagum City, in Davao del Norte province, held various activities in celebration of the 26th Araw ng Tagum.
The post by the FB page TAGUM Updated (created on Oct. 17, 2023 as TAGUM TODAY) has 3,900 reactions, 3,800 comments and 15,000 shares as of writing.
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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.)