Philippine police drill falsely shared online as 'thwarted child abduction'

"Kidnappers arrested!! Abducted children have been saved!! Here are the suspects, watch this…" reads the Tagalog-language caption alongside the video posted on Facebook on August 26. 

The four-minute 33-second clip has been viewed more than 1.1 million times.

It shows armed police officers pointing their weapons at a stationary car. Four people can be seen getting out of the vehicle before they are detained by the officers.

At the video's 29-second mark, a voice can be heard saying in Tagalog, "Oh, kidnapping. The child was kidnapped!"

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The video circulated online after the Philippine National Police dismissed claims on social media that a syndicate using a "white van" was kidnapping people across the archipelago.

The video was also viewed thousands of times on Facebook here, here, and here alongside a similar claim. 

Comments on the posts suggested some people believed the video shows police thwarting a child abduction attempt.

"These times are really scary. Thank goodness the police caught them and they saved the children", one wrote.

"To all the parents, kidnappers no longer choose the time of day to strike. Don't let your children walk in the streets alone", another said.

The video, however, shows a police drill and not an actual kidnapping. 

Simulation exercise

Keyword searches found the video corresponds to a set of photos and videos posted on the Facebook page for a police station in Manila on August 26.

The post's Tagalog-language caption by Jose Abad Santos Police Station states: "Simulation Exercise (SIMEX) of alleged abduction, in preparation for 'Back-to-School 2022'".

The archipelago was set to fully reopen all schools in November for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, AFP reported.

Below are screenshot comparisons of the video in the false posts (left) and clips here and here from the police Facebook post (right) with corresponding elements circled in red by AFP:

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AFP reviewed the photos and clips posted by the police and found they show a dramatisation of a rescue attempt.

At least two people can be seen filming the activity -- a man wearing a motorcycle helmet and a man wearing a police uniform:

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One of the officers playing the role of a kidnapper in this video can also be seen in the first photo without any handcuffs at a meeting with uniformed officers: 

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Responding to the posts, a representative from the Manila Police District's public information told AFP: "Yes, this is just a [simulation exercise]... our police officers conduct regular SIMEX activities."