#FactsFirstPH: Here’s a wrap of the biggest lies debunked in 2022

MANILA, Philippines – From claims about the elections to issues related to government programs, the economy, and the pandemic, lies were everywhere in 2022.

To help combat falsehoods spreading on social media, several newsrooms, civil society groups, business organizations, and research and legal groups banded together to form an anti-disinformation initiative dubbed #FactsFirstPH in January.

The coalition was recognized in an international fact-checking conference as most innovative and impactful.

We have collated some of the most repeated lies about pressing issues this year that were debunked by #FactsFirstPH partners, including ABKD Network, Altermidya, Baguio Chronicle, Daily Guardian, Davao Today, Interaksyon, Mindanao Gold Star, News5, OneNewsPH, PressOne, and Rappler, among others. (LIST: Organizations that are part of the #FactsFirstPH initiative)

As a reader and social media user, you can support this initiative by sharing these fact checks or keeping this list in handy so you come equipped with the right information to debunk false claims.

Check out the fact checks debunking the biggest lies of 2022:

Fact checks about the 2022 PH elections

This year’s presidential elections was a top issue that Filipinos cared about. Alongside this, the high-stakes elections stirred not only hopes and fears for the country but also a lot of false claims on social media.

These included false claims about election results, fake endorsements that even included some international personalities, crowd estimates, and campaign propaganda. Here are some of them:

Election results

Fake endorsements

Campaign propaganda

Davao Today: FACT CHECK: Bangui Wind Farm in Ilocos Norte is not BBM’s project
Baguio Chronicle: Marcos Jr. claims that his father’s Masagana 99 increased farming production and lowered food prices
News5: Marcos falsely claims that China as an election issue was raised for the first time in May 2022 polls
ABKD: [FALSE] Pilipinas, pangalawang pinakamayan sunod sa Japan noong panahon ni Marcos?
Rappler: HINDI TOTOO: Pinatunayan ng BSP na nag-imbak ng ginto si Marcos para sa bansa
Altermidya: FALSE: South Korea and Singapore copied late dictator Marcos’ ‘economic blueprint’
Daily Guardian: Guinness denies UniTeam supporters’ longest caravan claim

Fact checks about government programs

Lies about the government programs that are too good to be true did not stop spreading this year.

Some false claims that were debunked by #FactsFirstPH partners zoomed into the false promises for our labor and economy, credit grabbing of infrastructure efforts and other government programs, changes in education curriculum and program, and the impact of efforts to improve security in the country.

Below is a list:

Labor and economy

Rappler: HINDI TOTOO: Itataas ang national minimum wage sa P750
ABKD: [MISLEADING] Pagbabalik ng Oil Price Stabilization Fund (OPSF), Pipigil sa Pagtaas ng Presyo ng Langis
ABKD: [FALSE] Balik Scientist Program, nagsulong ng Deuterium Mining sa Pilipinas
Rappler: Claim that Cory signed law on contractualization is false
Altermidya: FACT CHECK: PH economy has ‘strongly bounced back’ from repercussions of COVID-19 pandemic
Mindanao Gold Star: Misleading: PH fastest-growing economy in Southeast Asia

Infrastructure

Education

Justice and security

Fact checks about the Philippine economy

The Philippines’ inflation reached a 14-year high in November 2022. Unfortunately, several of these claims touched on unpaid debt being paid, sovereign funds and other sources of funds like an alleged gold stash, inflation and alleged low inflation, and the impacts of investments.

Income and revenue

Rappler: MISSING CONTEXT: Non-tax revenue constitutes 6% of the PH’s total income
Interaksyon: False: Claims on TikTok videos that P820 daily minimum wage is approved
Rappler: Philippines not the only country without a sovereign wealth fund
Mindanao Gold Star: False: Marcos heirs not liable for estate tax

Inflation and prices

Investments and debt

Fact checks about the pandemic

It’s 2022 but claims about the pandemic are still rampant. In times like these, unverified reports and misleading posts online can spread as fast and as wide as the virus itself.

This year, many false claims about the pandemic talked about the false side effects of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine deployment.

And some of the weirdest fact checks

Even if some claims were obviously not true, these claims had to be debunked.

This year, some of the weirdest fact checks were about the alleged health benefits you can gain when using certain items, false explanations of weather phenomenon and monitoring, and conspiracy theories.

Health

Rappler: FALSE: COVID-19 vaccines eliminate ‘God Particle’ in the body
Baguio Chronicle: “Astronaut Pills” can be mass-produced to feed the poor
Altermidya: FACT CHECK: Video Doctored To Tout Unproven Diabetes Treatment
OneNewsPH: FACT CHECK: No Evidence ‘Detox Foot Pads’ Can Treat Various Medical Conditions And Illnesses, Experts Say
Interaksyon: Fact or fake? Demystifying myths about pneumonia and pneumococcal vaccines

History and conspiracy theories

Others

Baguio Chronicle: Igorots have tails
Baguio Chronicle: Darryl Yap is listed by Forbes as among the most obnoxious people under 30 worldwide
Daily Guardian: FALSE: Chris Rock says he forgives Will Smith but not the Marcoses

With the help of the other partners in the mesh layer, these fact checks were also promoted on several social media pages of our partners, and shared as videos, cartoons, translations to other local languages, and other executions to reach a wider audience across the country.

If you spot other claims on social media, report them to https://factsfirst.ph/tipline.

And together, let’s put facts first this 2023. – Rappler.com