FALSE: Luzon placed under Alert Level 5 or ‘total hard lockdown’

At a glance

• Claim: Alert Level 5 “total hard lockdown” is declared over Luzon.
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: As of Monday, January 10, 2022, the government has not placed any area of the country under Alert Level 5.
• Why we fact-checked this: As of writing, the Facebook posts have gained 1,700 reactions, 220 comments, and 630 shares overall. Some of these posts are now unavailable.

Complete details

On Monday, January 3, 2022, the Facebook page “DSWD AYUDA” uploaded a graphic falsely claiming that the whole Luzon was now placed under Alert Level 5.

The graphic reads, “Total hard lockdown. Bad news! Alert Level 5, ipapatupad na sa buong Luzon! Hard lockdown!” The graphic has a photo of President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Bong Go. In its caption, the page put a YouTube link to the supposed details.

As of writing, the Facebook posts have gained 1,700 reactions, 220 comments, and 630 shares overall. Some of these posts are now unavailable.

This claim is false.

The government has not placed any area of the country under Alert Level 5, as of Monday, January 10, 2022.

On December 31, Acting Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Karlo Nograles announced that Metro Manila would be under Alert Level 3 from January 3 to 15, 2022, following a surge in COVID-19 cases in the country.

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases Resolution No. 155-A added the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, and Cavite under Alert Level 3 from January 5 until January 15, 2022. (READ: What do we need to know under alert level 3?)

On January 5, Malacanang announced the province of Laguna would be placed under Alert Level 3 from January 7 to January 15 due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the province.

The national government also added 14 more provinces and cities under Alert Level 3 starting Sunday, January 9, until January 15. The areas included are the cities of Baguio, Dagupan, Santiago, Olongapo, Angeles, Lucena, Naga, Iloilo, and Lapu-Lapu, as well as the provinces of Cagayan, Bataan, Pampanga, Zambales, and Batangas.

The Facebook page “DSWD AYUDA” is an impostor page of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The Facebook page shared the false claim multiple times in one day. – Owenh Toledo/Rappler.com

Owenh Toledo is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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