Philippine Facebook posts share false 'cash aid for all students' claim

"SCHOOL ALLOWANCE FROM DSWD AND DEPED FOR THOSE STUDYING," says a Tagalog-language Facebook post shared here on August 15.

It features a graphic showing images of 1,000-peso bills as well as Vice President and education secretary Sara Duterte alongside text saying "all students" are entitled to 7,000 pesos and free school supplies under a "scholarship".

The post also includes a purported scholarship registration link. However, it leads to a web page that only contains instructions on how to register SIM cards in compliance with a new law.

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Screenshot of false post taken September 8, 2023.

Similar posts have also been shared in Facebook pages and groups with over 124,000 combined followers here, here and here as the archipelago geared up for the reopening of classes in public schools in late August.

Comments by some social media users suggested they believed the posts showed a genuine scholarship scheme.

"Hoping to receive this soon. My two kids still don't have school supplies," one wrote.

"How to join? My kids need this," said another.

Nonexistent programme

However, representatives for Dep Ed and DSWD separately told AFP the posts are false.

"Not true on the part of Dep Ed," education spokesman Michael Poa said on September 7, 2023.

The Dep Ed website says the agency has a voucher programme that helps cover tuition and other fees but only for Grade 10 students in participating senior high schools (archived link).

Its education service contracting programme also has limited coverage, only providing tuition subsidies to qualified elementary school graduates in private schools (archived link).

DSWD spokesman Romel Lopez also told AFP on September 8: "We would like to clarify that there is no scholarship grant programme under the DSWD providing 7,000 monthly stipend and school supplies. Any post claiming such is false and should be disregarded."

DSWD digital media service director Dianne Joie Ruiz told AFP on the same day her agency and Dep Ed jointly launched the "Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program" in August (archived link).

She added this is not a scholarship programme but a cash-for-work educational assistance scheme that employs college students from low-income families as tutors.

None of the Facebook pages or groups that shared the false claim are affiliated with Dep Ed or DSWD.

The education department's official Facebook page features a blue verification badge that indicates its authenticity. It was created on May 15, 2012 and has over five million followers (archived links here and here).

The DSWD's Facebook page is also verified and was created on September 7, 2010 (archived link). It has more than one million followers.

AFP has repeatedly debunked false posts promising scholarships or offering cash handouts here, here, here, here and here.