COVID-19 misinformation in the Philippines

Last updated October 13, 2023

Misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines consists of disinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic propagated by various sources.

Measures against misinformation

The Department of Health of the Philippines has advised against spreading misinformation and unverified claims concerning the pandemic.^[1]

The Philippine National Police has also taken action against the spread of misinformation related to the pandemic and has warned the public that misinformation purveyors could be charged for violating Presidential Decree no. 90 for "declaring local rumor, mongering and spreading false information". In the case of misinformation circulated online, violators could be charged for violating the Cybercrime Prevention Act which has a maximum penalty of imprisonment for 12 years.^[2] The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act also punishes fake news peddlers of two months jail time or fine of up to ₱1 million.^[3]

Misinformation by subject

Origin

SARS-CoV-2 being a type of rabies along with advice to not eat bats. The virus is in the coronavirus family and is unrelated to rabies.^[4]

Treatment and cure

Boiled ginger as a cure for COVID-19. There is no concrete scientific proof for this claim. Mark Pasayan, a doctor from the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases says that while a cold weather may make one more susceptible to the COVID-19 infection, the intake of hot or cold food does not correlate with the prevention and treatment of the disease.^[5]
Viral posts with various claims such as avoidance of eating ice cream and cold food, and encouraging exposure to sunlight as a means of prevention against COVID-19 purportedly from UNICEF. UNICEF Philippines has issued a statement disassociating itself from the posts peddling false and misleading information.^[6]
A widely circulated graphic on social media claimed that gargling warm water with salt would "eliminate the virus." DOH Undersecretary Eric Domingo said that while the saline water has been a recognized home treatment for symptoms of a sore throat for many generations, there is no evidence suggesting its capability to kill the virus.^[7]
A supposed video spread on the internet about how bananas can cure COVID-19. This information was even advocated by the presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo. However, DOH Spokesperson Ma. Rosario Vergeire debunked this claim, saying that while bananas is a healthy food source, there are no conclusive evidences yet about its effectivity against coronavirus.^[8]
On March 21, 2020, several netizens on Facebook shared misleading posts about the Philippine Air Force and the Philippine National Police using helicopters to spray pesticides among major cities in an effort to disinfect the virus. The Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, the Department of Health, and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) have refuted these claims. Furthermore, the Department of Health added on its official website that there is no evidence that pesticide sprays can kill the Coronavirus.^[9]
A statement of President Rodrigo Duterte claiming that gasoline may be used as a disinfectant in absence of hand sanitizers has been refuted by the Integrated Chemists of the Philippines and warned the public that gasoline is harmful to the body especially if inhaled.^[10]
In April 2021, videos in YouTube and Facebook purported that Ivermectin is already fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a cure for COVID-19. The drug was only granted compassionate use for such purpose in one hospital. Ivermectin in the Philippines is only authorized to be used in animals for treatment of heartworm disease while for humans the drug is only allowed "in topical formulations under prescription use only".^[11]

Transmission

The DOH supposedly issuing an advisory on the proliferation of fake cigarettes which is claimed to be a method of transmission of COVID-19. The government agency did not issue such advisory.^[12]

Lockdowns and travel restriction

In the first week of February, the government supposedly imposed a 14-day quarantine for travelers coming from 20 countries. An infographic supporting the claim was circulated purportedly from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). On February 7, the DILG denied the claim. At that time the quarantine measure is only being imposed from travelers from three territories: Mainland China, Macau, and Hong Kong.^[13]
The Palace also disproved posts circulating online about the declaration of "Total Lockdown" nationwide and warned its peddlers of imminent arrest. At the time of the circulation, the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon was already in effect.^[14]

Vaccination

In August 2021, Thousand of people line up in vaccination sites across Metro Manila, many without prior registration, following false information that the unvaccinated would be ineligible to receive aid or be allowed to leave their homes during the enhance community quarantine in the metropolis. The DOH issued a statement that it would not allow the national vaccination program to cause superspreader events. Critics of President Rodrigo Duterte cite the president's prior rhetoric that unvaccinated would not be allowed to leave their homes.^[15]^[16]

Other

According to the DOH, the cremation of the body of the first confirmed COVID-19 death in the Philippines has been hampered by the proliferation of misinformation.^[17]

Related Research Articles

False information, including intentional disinformation and conspiracy theories, about the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic and the origin, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease has been spread through social media, text messaging, and mass media. False information has been propagated by celebrities, politicians, and other prominent public figures. Many countries have passed laws against "fake news", and thousands of people have been arrested for spreading COVID-19 misinformation. The spread of COVID-19 misinformation by governments has also been significant.

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. As of October 13, 2023, there have been 4,114,680 reported cases, and 66,696 reported deaths, the fifth highest in Southeast Asia, behind Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The first case in the Philippines was identified on January 30, 2020, and involved a 38-year-old Chinese woman who was confined at San Lazaro Hospital in Metro Manila. On February 1, 2020, a posthumous test result from a 44-year-old Chinese man turned out positive for the virus, making the Philippines the first country outside China to record a confirmed death from the disease.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Metro Manila was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus reached Metro Manila on January 30, 2020, when the first case of COVID-19 in the Philippines was confirmed in Manila. Metro Manila is the worst affected region in the Philippines, where most cases in the country are recorded. A state of calamity and community quarantine was declared in the region on March 15.

Media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic has varied by country, time period and media outlet. News media has simultaneously kept viewers informed about current events related to the pandemic, and contributed to misinformation or fake news.

The enhanced community quarantine in Luzon was a series of stay-at-home orders and cordon sanitaire measures implemented by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on the island of Luzon and its associated islands. It is part of the COVID-19 community quarantines in the Philippines, a larger scale of COVID-19 containment measures with varying degrees of strictness. The "enhanced community quarantine" (ECQ) is the strictest of these measures and is effectively a total lockdown.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is a task force organized by the executive of the government of the Philippines to respond to affairs concerning emerging infectious diseases in the country.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Central Visayas is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus reached Central Visayas on February 5, 2020, when the first case of the disease was confirmed in Bohol. As of May 2, 2023, there have been 210,549 cases in Central Visayas with 6,685 deaths.

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Cordillera Administrative Region is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus reached the Cordillera Administrative Region on March 20, 2020, when the first case of the disease was confirmed to involve a resident of Manabo, Abra. All provinces, as well as the independent city of Baguio has recorded at least one confirmed COVID-19 case.

Both the national government and local governments have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines with various declarations of emergency, closure of schools and public meeting places, lockdowns, and other restrictions intended to slow the spread of the virus.

America's Frontline Doctors (AFLDS) is an American right-wing political organization. Affiliated with Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin and publicly led by Simone Gold, the group is opposed to measures intended to control the COVID-19 pandemic, such as business closures, stay-at-home orders, and vaccination. The group promotes falsehoods about the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines.

Misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic has been propagated by various public figures, including officials of the United States government. The Trump administration in particular made a large number of misleading statements about the pandemic. A Cornell University study found that former U.S. President Donald Trump was "likely the largest driver" of the COVID-19 misinformation infodemic in English-language media, downplaying the virus and promoting unapproved drugs. Others have also been accused of spreading misinformation, including U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, backing conspiracy theories regarding the origin of the virus, U.S. senators and New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, who downplayed the virus.

During the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, many people began to spread false or un-confirmed data and information. This included politicians and other government officials from administrations in several countries. Misinformation about the virus includes its origin, how it spreads, and methods of preventing and curing the disease. Some downplayed the threat of the pandemic, and made false statements about preventative measures, death rates and testing within their own countries. Some have also spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. Changing policies also created confusion and contributed to the spread of misinformation. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) originally discouraged use of face masks by the general public in early 2020, advising "If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection," although the WHO later changed their advice to encourage public wearing of face masks.

The COVID-19 vaccination program in the Philippines is an ongoing mass immunization campaign against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in response to the ongoing pandemic in the country. The vaccination program was initiated by the Duterte administration on March 1, 2021, a day after the arrival of the country's first vaccine doses which were donated by the Chinese government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre Kory</span> American physician

Pierre Kory is an American critical care physician who gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for advocating widespread off-label use of certain drugs as treatments for COVID-19, as president and co-founder of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC). Kory testified twice to the U.S. Senate regarding COVID-19. During his testimony in December 2020, Kory erroneously claimed that the antiparasitic medication ivermectin was a "wonder drug" with "miraculous effectiveness" against COVID-19.

The Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) is a group of physicians and former journalists formed in April 2020 that has advocated for various unapproved, dubious, and ineffective treatments for COVID-19. The group is led by Paul E. Marik and Pierre Kory. Both would later join conservative or right-wing groups promoting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.

Anti-vaccination activists and other people in many countries have spread a variety of unfounded conspiracy theories and other misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines based on misunderstood or misrepresented science, religion, and law. These have included exaggerated claims about side effects, misrepresentations about how the immune system works and when and how COVID-19 vaccines are made, a story about COVID-19 being spread by 5G, and other false or distorted information. This misinformation has proliferated and may have made many people averse to vaccination. This has led to governments and private organizations around the world introducing measures to incentivize or coerce vaccination, such as lotteries, mandates, and free entry to events, which has in turn led to further misinformation about the legality and effect of these measures themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivermectin during the COVID-19 pandemic</span> Uses of drug ivermectin during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug that is well established for use in animals and people. The World Health Organization (WHO), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) all advise against using ivermectin in an attempt to treat or prevent COVID-19.

This timeline includes entries on the spread of COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. This includes investigations into the origin of COVID-19, and the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 which is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. Social media apps and platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, and YouTube, have contributed to the spread of misinformation. The Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN) reported that conspiracy theories related to COVID-19 began on "day one". CAHN reported on March 16, 2020, that far-right groups in Canada were taking advantage of the climate of anxiety and fear surrounding COVID, to recycle variations of conspiracies from the 1990s, that people had shared over shortwave radio. COVID-19 disinformation is intentional and seeks to create uncertainty and confusion. But most of the misinformation is shared online unintentionally by enthusiastic participants who are politically active.

The World Council for Health is a pseudo-medical organisation dedicated to spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and promoting fake COVID-19 treatments.

References

↑ "Virus 'infodemic': DOH urges Pinoys not to spread fake news on coronavirus". ABS-CBN News. January 27, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
↑ Caliwan, Christopher Lloyd (February 5, 2020). "PNP monitors 6 'hoax posts' on nCoV threat". Philippine News Agency. Philippine News Agency. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
↑ Gregorio, Xave (March 25, 2020). "Jail time, up to ₱1-M fine await peddlers of fake COVID-19 news". CNN Philippines. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
↑ "Philippine health chief dismisses 'ridiculous' hoax that novel coronavirus is a type of rabies". AFP Fact Check. Agence France-Presse Philippines. January 30, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
↑ "Doctors refute misleading online claim that consuming boiled ginger can cure novel coronavirus infections". AFP Fact Check. Agence France-Presse Philippines. February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
↑ Malasig, Jeline (March 9, 2020). "'Misinformation': UNICEF Philippines tags viral posts sharing COVID-19 info using its name". InterAksyon. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
↑ "FALSE: Gargling salt water 'eliminates' coronavirus". Rappler. March 14, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
↑ "DOH debunks claims bananas can prevent COVID-19 infection". CNN Philippines. March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
↑ "False claim circulates online that certain countries in Asia are using helicopters to spray 'COVID-19 disinfectant'". AFP Fact Check. March 27, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
↑ "AMID DUTERTE STATEMENT: Gasoline must not be used as disinfectant, chemists warn public". GMA News. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
↑ "FALSE: Ivermectin approved as COVID-19 cure in the Philippines". Rappler. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
↑ "False: DOH says fake cigarettes that 'spread coronavirus' have reached PH". Rappler. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
↑ "DILG: 14-day quarantine on travelers from over 20 countries a hoax". GMA News. February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
↑ Geducos, Argyll Cyrus (March 27, 2020). "Palace denies total lockdown rumors; fake news peddlers face arrest". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
↑ Gomez, Jim (6 August 2021). "Thousands jam Philippine vaccination sites over false news". AP News. Associated Press. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
↑ "Manila residents crowd vaccination centers in rush before lockdown". CNN Philippines. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
↑ Punzalan, Jamaine (February 6, 2020). "'Fake news' hampers cremation of Philippines' first novel coronavirus fatality". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved February 15, 2020.

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[dohurges-1] "Virus 'infodemic': DOH urges Pinoys not to spread fake news on coronavirus". ABS-CBN News. January 27, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.

[2] Caliwan, Christopher Lloyd (February 5, 2020). "PNP monitors 6 'hoax posts' on nCoV threat". Philippine News Agency. Philippine News Agency. Retrieved February 15, 2020.

[3] Gregorio, Xave (March 25, 2020). "Jail time, up to ₱1-M fine await peddlers of fake COVID-19 news". CNN Philippines. Retrieved March 27, 2020.

[4] "Philippine health chief dismisses 'ridiculous' hoax that novel coronavirus is a type of rabies". AFP Fact Check. Agence France-Presse Philippines. January 30, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.

[5] "Doctors refute misleading online claim that consuming boiled ginger can cure novel coronavirus infections". AFP Fact Check. Agence France-Presse Philippines. February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.

[6] Malasig, Jeline (March 9, 2020). "'Misinformation': UNICEF Philippines tags viral posts sharing COVID-19 info using its name". InterAksyon. Retrieved March 10, 2020.

[7] "FALSE: Gargling salt water 'eliminates' coronavirus". Rappler. March 14, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.

[8] "DOH debunks claims bananas can prevent COVID-19 infection". CNN Philippines. March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.

[9] "False claim circulates online that certain countries in Asia are using helicopters to spray 'COVID-19 disinfectant'". AFP Fact Check. March 27, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.

[10] "AMID DUTERTE STATEMENT: Gasoline must not be used as disinfectant, chemists warn public". GMA News. Retrieved February 27, 2021.

[11] "FALSE: Ivermectin approved as COVID-19 cure in the Philippines". Rappler. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.

[12] "False: DOH says fake cigarettes that 'spread coronavirus' have reached PH". Rappler. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.

[13] "DILG: 14-day quarantine on travelers from over 20 countries a hoax". GMA News. February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.

[14] Geducos, Argyll Cyrus (March 27, 2020). "Palace denies total lockdown rumors; fake news peddlers face arrest". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.

[15] Gomez, Jim (6 August 2021). "Thousands jam Philippine vaccination sites over false news". AP News. Associated Press. Retrieved 12 August 2021.

[16] "Manila residents crowd vaccination centers in rush before lockdown". CNN Philippines. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.

[17] Punzalan, Jamaine (February 6, 2020). "'Fake news' hampers cremation of Philippines' first novel coronavirus fatality". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved February 15, 2020.

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