CLAIM: On August 19, Facebook (FB) page Davao Updates posted an infographic that listed down reminders on how to stay vigilant against “van kidnapping.”
“#FRIENDLYREMINDER: MAG-IGMAT SA ‘Van kidnapping,’” reads the caption. The post has garnered 23,000 shares, 1,400 comments, and 8,700 reactions as of this writing.
The infographic’s source is an article by lifestyle.inquirer.net published on December 14, 2019.
RATING: MISLEADING
FACTS:
Police authorities in different areas in the country have refuted the reported kidnapping incidents that are making rounds on social media.
In a report from Inquirer, the National Capital Region Police Office said a post about a white van supposedly abducting a girl in North Caloocan was a “hoax.”
The Anti-Kidnapping Group-Visayas Field Unit (AKG-VFU) also said reports on social media about kidnapping cases happening in different parts of Cebu province were false.
“Here in AKG, we can say that these claims are not true but we are asking the public that even if we don’t have any proof, let’s not be complacent,” AKG-VFU Team Leader Police Lieutenant Zosimo Ravanes Jr. told Rappler on August 23.
In Davao City, netizens shared posts on social media about two young girls who were allegedly kidnapped in Matina Aplaya and Binugao, Toril, and another incident that reportedly took place in Bo. Obrero. The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) clarified there’s no truth to these reports.
DCPO chief PCol. Alberto Lupaz, in an interview, pointed these false kidnapping reports to “careless citizens” who shared invalidated FB posts of allegedly missing persons. Police warned they would go after those spreading false information online.
On recorded cases of missing women in Bulacan, Palawan, and Calabarzon, the Philippine National Police said last August 25 that they don’t see “any pattern linking these crimes.”
Davao Today is part of #FactsFirstPH which brings together various sectors that are committed to promoting truth in the public space, and exacting accountability on those who harm it with lies. For those interested to join the initiative, email info@factsfirst.ph.
