{"id":23176,"date":"2024-03-06T22:28:40","date_gmt":"2024-03-07T03:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/video-of-massive-fire-in-central-philippines-falsely-linked-to-conflict-in-western-myanmar\/06\/03\/2024\/"},"modified":"2024-03-06T22:28:40","modified_gmt":"2024-03-07T03:28:40","slug":"video-of-massive-fire-in-central-philippines-falsely-linked-to-conflict-in-western-myanmar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/video-of-massive-fire-in-central-philippines-falsely-linked-to-conflict-in-western-myanmar\/06\/03\/2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Video of massive fire in central Philippines falsely linked to conflict in western Myanmar"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Screenshot taken on March 1, 2024 of the misleading post <\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Myanmar’s junta has struggled to crush widespread armed opposition to its rule since it staged a military coup in February 2021 and launched a violent crackdown on dissent as mass protests spread throughout the Southeast Asian nation.<\/p>\n

The video circulated online as the region saw\u00a0intensifying clashes<\/a> between the military and the AA for control of townships in the state.<\/p>\n

It also racked up more than 2.6 million views alongside similar false claims on TikTok here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But the video is unrelated to the conflict in Myanmar and in fact showed a fire in the Philippines in December 2023.<\/p>\n

2023 Cebu Fire<\/h3>\n

A Google reverse image search followed by keyword searches found a similar video<\/a> on TikTok, uploaded on December 12, 2023 (archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n

“This is the Christmas gift to us here in Pusok, Lapu-Lapu, Cebu City,” reads the caption written in Visayan — a language commonly spoken in central Philippines.<\/p>\n

Pusok<\/a> is a neighbourhood in Lapu-Lapu City in the Philippines’ central Cebu province.<\/p>\n

A person can be heard in the video shouting “lola” — Filipino for “grandmother”.<\/p>\n

“I could not find you, I was so scared,” the Visayan-language speaker is heard saying at the video’s 27-second mark.<\/p>\n

Below is a screenshot comparison of the video from the false post (left) and the video shared on TikTok (right), with corresponding features marked by AFP:<\/p>\n

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\"<span>Screenshot\"<span><button<\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Screenshot comparison of the video from the false post (left) and the video shared on TikTok (right), with corresponding features marked by AFP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

The same user also uploaded other videos<\/a>\u00a0and photos<\/a> of the fire taken from different angles\u00a0(archived links here<\/a> and here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Cebu-based media outlet The Freeman reported<\/a> a massive blaze had struck the seaside neighbourhood of Santa Maria in Lapu-Lapu City on December 12, 2023, leaving thousands homeless after the biggest fire in the city’s history (archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n

It also uploaded a video<\/a> of the fire to its official Facebook page on December 12, 2023 (archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Online news outlet GMA News<\/a> also published footage showing similar scenes from the fire in a report on December 12, 2023 (archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The affected area with the houses on stilts can be seen from Google Street View imagery here<\/a> (archived link<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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\"<span>Screenshot\"<span><button<\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Screenshot of the Google Street View imagery showing the neighbourhood in Lapu-Lapu City affected by the fire.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

AFP has previously debunked claims related to the conflict in Myanmar involving ethnic rebel groups here<\/a>\u00a0and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n