An old video of a Japanese fleet is being passed off to show “warships” supposedly sent by Australia to help the country in its dispute in the West Philippine Sea.
Australia did not dispatch such vessels.
Posted on Feb. 23, the false two-minute and four-second video imitated GMA Network’s 24 Oras and bore the headline:
“24 ORAS EXPRESS AUSTRALIA AT PILIPINAS BUMANAT NASA WEST PHILIPPINE SEA (AUSTRALIA AND THE PHILIPPINES ATTACKED IN THE WEST PHILIPPINE SEA)! VINES BREAKING NEWS VIRAL.”
The video further claimed that Australia sent the warships to drive away Chinese vessels from Philippine territory.
This is not true. The video shows Japan’s guided missile destroyers JS Chōkai (DDG-176) and JS Atago (DDG-177).
The footage was from Japanese YouTube channel yamadaiti’s post on Feb. 21. Its caption stated this clip was during the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Fleet Review rehearsal on Oct. 15, 2015. Yamadaiti uploaded other clips of the event.
Vessels from the United States, Japan, South Korea, India, France, and Australia also participated in the event held in the waters of Yokosuka.
The circulating false video also featured an unrelated inset image of American model Noelle Best in a military uniform.
The false post came out a day after Australian Deputy Prime Minister and defense chief Richard Marles met President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos at Malacañang on Feb. 22.
At a joint press briefing with Defense Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. the same day, Marles said the Philippines and Australia are looking for ways to pursue joint patrols in the South China Sea.
The video uploaded by the previously fact-checked YouTube channel Ella Vloggs (created on Feb. 15, 2019) has 104,029 views as of writing. Netizens also shared the link on Facebook. (Read related story VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Russia did NOT donate attack chopper to PH)
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