Christian band's concert misrepresented online as 'rally for former Philippine president Duterte'
- Published on March 15, 2024 at 05:15
- 3 min read
- By Ara Eugenio, AFP Philippines
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"If the prayer rally in Cebu flopped according to paid trolls and gullible supporters of stoned Marcos Jr, then what do you call this?" reads the caption to an image viewed more than 50,000 times since it was posted on social media platform X on February 27, 2024.
It shows a massive crowd gathering in front of a huge stage.
"Surely, your humanity's not just infested with flies, it's rotting with worms," the post's caption adds.
It emerged online two days after supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte staged a prayer rally in Cebu City to protest against a proposal to amend the country's 1987 constitution to allow more foreign investment -- a move backed by incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Critics warned an amendment to the charter could pave the way for Marcos to seek another six-year term, which is currently prohibited.
Relations between the Marcos and Duterte families have deteriorated nearly two years since Marcos swept to victory with the help of his vice presidential running mate and predecessor's daughter, Sara Duterte.
Accusations of drug abuse, threats to split the country and rumours of a coup plot have destroyed the public facade of unity between the two powerful clans as they seek to shore up their respective support bases and secure key positions ahead of the mid-term elections in 2025 and presidential elections in 2028.
Posts featuring the screenshot were also shared on Facebook here and here alongside a similar false claim.
Comments from some users suggested they believed the video showed a rally for Duterte.
"We still support the Dutertes," one wrote.
"The Dutertes are the only genuine and incorrupt politicians," another said.
Concert footage
Based on clues provided by the screenshot, a search on the Facebook page "Cebu ni bai" ("This is Cebu") found this drone video uploaded on February 23, 2024 (archived link).
"Planetshakers live in Cebu! #Cebu #Planetshakers #CebuNiBai," reads the caption to the reel, referring to a concert held by Christian music band Planetshakers at SM Seaside Cebu Concert Grounds on February 23 (archived links here and here).
Redjie Megallos, the lifestyle page's administrator, told AFP he filmed the drone footage.
"My original post clearly said the video was from the Planetshakers concert," he said.
According to local media reports here, here and here, Duterte's supporters held their rally at South Road Properties in Cebu City on February 25 -- two days after the Planetshakers' concert (archived links here, here and here).
Below is a screenshot comparison of the image in the false posts (left) and the video shared by the "Cebu ni bai" Facebook page (right):
AFP found a compilation of footage from the concert on the Planetshakers' verified Facebook page that shows a corresponding scene (archived link).
Below is a screenshot comparison of the image in the false post (left) and the footage shared by Planetshakers (right):
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