This photo of Manila’s mayor was taken before his Covid-19 diagnosis

This article is more than one year old.
Published on August 19, 2021 at 06:00
Updated on August 20, 2021 at 06:08
2 min read
By AFP Philippines

A photo of the mayor of the Philippine capital Manila has been shared in social media posts that criticised him for apparently wearing limited PPE while he was hospitalised with Covid-19. The claim is false; the photo was taken when the mayor visited a hospital, four days before authorities announced he had been hospitalised with Covid-19.

"He’s supposedly positive [for Covid-19] but his assistants aren’t wearing any face shield or [personal protective equipment] and there’s even a cameraman," reads a Tagalog-language tweet posted on August 16.

"I wonder what photo of Isko Moreno they’ll release tomorrow, will it be [him] pretending to be on oxygen?"

The photo shows Manila mayor and former actor Francisco Domagoso -- also known by his screen name Isko Moreno -- wearing a face mask as he sits on a hospital bed. Two people standing beside him are also wearing face masks, but no other form of personal protective equipment.

Screenshot of the false post taken on August 19, 2021

Similar posts were shared on Facebook here and on Twitter here.

The posts emerged after Manila authorities announced on August 15 that Domagoso was on his way to hospital after testing positive for Covid-19.

Comments show social media users were misled by the posts.

"Those two people in his room have been exposed. No wonder this virus keeps spreading," one person commented.

"Visitors for Covid patients are prohibited right?" another wrote. "So that’s why infection rates in Manila are so high".

However, the claim is false. The photo was taken four days before the city announced Domagoso tested positive for Covid-19.

A reverse image search and keyword searches traced the photo to a Facebook post from August 11 on Domagoso’s verified page.

"[Citizens] of Manila, your beautiful [Hospital of Manila Medical Center] is near [completion]. This is for all of you. It will be like a private hospital," the post's caption reads.

The photo corresponds to the seven-minute 10-second mark in this video streamed live on Domagoso’s page on the same day.

The video shows him touring parts of the hospital with city officials before he sits on a hospital bed.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in the false Twitter post (left) and the image on Domagoso’s Facebook page (right).

Screenshot comparison of the photo in the false post (left) and the image on Domagoso’s Facebook page (right)

Manila City’s information office dismissed the false posts as "fake news".

August 20, 2021 UPDATE: This article was updated to include social media posts which shared the photo with a more direct claim.

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