Netizens are circulating reports that a van, allegedly involved in kidnapping, is roaming around Cagayan province. These are false, according to the Cagayan Police Provincial Office (CPPO).
On Jan. 22, a FB page uploaded a photo of a van parked on a roadside with a text revealing two plate numbers. A part of the caption read:
“Atoy tay lugan apo nga mabalbalay agintatarimaan gasul kakabsat ken gagayem. Nu man pay makita yu wennu sumrek da balay yu saan yun patanugen ta agitoy ket ada balak da nga madi. (Families and friends, this is the car that comes to houses acting like they are fixing gas tanks. If you see them or if they go to your houses, do not let them in because they have evil plans).”
Another netizen reposted the same photo with an additional caption advising netizens to take caution “especially their children.”
As per the CPPO, these posts are “not true.”
In its Jan. 23 press statements, the police office further clarified that they have yet to receive any formal report on the incident, thus claims of this sort are deemed “fake news as of this time.”
As the CPPO continues its investigation on the matter, it urges the public to report information through proper procedures and to be responsible in sharing information online.
A local radio station also reported on Jan. 23 that the owner of the van mentioned in the posts has already gone to the police to get certification that they were not involved in illegal activities.
In the same week, the Puerto Princesa City Police Office and San Jose Municipal Police Station also debunked false reports of van kidnapping incidents that spread in their areas.
VERA Files Fact Check previously flagged a fake advisory on rape-kidnap-steal modus falsely attributed to the Philippine National Police (PNP). (Read FAKE advisory on rape-kidnap-steal modus not from PNP)
The PNP recorded twenty kidnapping incidents from January to October last year, with most victims being Chinese nationals.
FB page Cagayan Valley’s (created on Nov. 21, 2019 as Vlogstar Team Agila) post garnered 1,100 reactions, 604 comments and 17,000 shares, while the post on the FB group IlocaKnows (Aug. 24, 2020 as Taga Cagayan Valley Ako) has 126 reactions, 32 comments and 1,900 shares.
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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.)
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