A story by website dakila.info misleads with a claim that government officials caught shopping complex SM Mall of Asia (MOA) polluting Manila Bay.
The Jan. 13 report, headlined “JUST IN: SM MALL OF ASIA NAHULI NG TAGA DENR NA NAGTATAMBAK NG DUMI SA DAGAT (Just in: SM Mall of Asia caught by DENR people dumping waste into the sea)!,” featured 17 minutes of a 29-minute Jan. 12 newscast of the CNN Philippines show Newsroom Weekend. The clip was re-uploaded by Youtube channel TOKHANG TV.
Dakila.info’s headline does not reflect CNN Philippines’ story, which only reported that inspectors from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources detected “smelly” waste water coming from MOA’s bayside area. Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu is having the waste water tested for possible pollutants and disease-causing pathogens.
The misleading story came five days after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a major DENR-led cleanup of Manila Bay, where he also warned nearby establishments to refrain from using the bay as their dumping ground.
Dakila.info’s story could have reached more than 548,000 people; its top traffic generators are Facebook pages Pres. Rody Duterte Worldwide Supporters, Bagong Pag-asa ng Pilipino and Pinoy Republic.
Dakila.info was created on April 13, 2018.
(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
