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White House Information Officer Claire Castro says the government is preparing to avoid the worst if tensions continue in the Middle East, adding that no energy shutdown is expected at this time.
Claim: A news report warned Filipinos to prepare for “power blackouts” due to the ongoing crisis in the country’s electricity supply.
Rating: LIE
Why we looked at these facts: The Facebook video it claims has 7 million views, 138,000 views, 32,000 shares, and 8,200 comments, as of writing.
The claim was posted by the Facebook page, “Pinoy News Channel,” which describes itself as a news and media site that “uses AI tools for content.”
The video shows the supposed headliners along with a short description“Reminder! There may be a national shutdown due to a national energy emergency! Stay tuned.”
(Reminder! The country may shut down due to a national energy emergency! Stay tuned.)
The post also directs users to click on a link that purports to have a list of affected areas under lockdown.
Fact: When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. he announced national energy emergency on March 24 due to rising global oil prices amid Middle East conflict, no “energy shutdown” announcements forthcoming.
In a press conference on March 27, White House Information Officer Claire Castro sure public that no energy lock is expected at the moment. He said the government is preparing to avoid the worst situation if tensions continue in the Middle East.
“Right now this is actually being prepared by the President, the administration is preparing, so we don’t want to end up in a worse situation. Therefore, that is why now with the cooperation of all Government agencies, especially the DOE and DFA, we are looking for real sources so that the supply of petroleum stops and continues for our citizens,” he said. he said,
(Right now, the President is really planning, the administration is planning for this, so we don’t want to end up in a worse situation. So, that’s why now, with the cooperation of all the Government agencies, especially (Department of Energy) and (Department of Foreign Affairs), we are really looking for sources so that the supply of petroleum stops and continues for our country.
When asked about the possible energy shutdown, Castro said, “Right now, as we speak, we see nothing.”
(Currently, as we speak, we are not seeing (power outages.))
AI video and phishing link: AI detection tool It is not visible reported the video as 84% likely to have been created by AI. The links included in the post, which allegedly lead to a list of places under lockdown, do not point to official government sources.
The first link directs users to the online shopping platform, while the second link directs users to unofficial blog site which can put them at risk of phishing. (READ: Phishing 101: How to spot and avoid scams)
Government Actions: Amid concerns about the world’s oil supply due to The Middle East ConflictMarcos assured the Filipinos that the country has adequate supply of crude oil and that the government is investigating measures to reduce the impact of the conflict on oil prices. He added that the authorities aim to provide immediate aid to those affected by the increase in transport costs.
On March 30, the Department of Energy said the Philippines’ current fuel inventory it can now last up to 50.9 days, slightly longer than the previously reported supply of 45 days. – Owen Toledo/Rappler.com
Owenh Toledo is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking consulting program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and editor-in-chief. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
