The Philippines has not started mining deuterium gas

The claim: The Marcos administration will begin the mining of deuterium gas in the Philippines.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim was made by the YouTube Channel “Sa Iyong Araw,” which has 118,000 subscribers. The video itself has almost 66,000 views, 3,200 likes, and 201 comments.

Background: The video claims that the Philippines has many deposits of deuterium gas that have gone untouched. According to the video, these alleged deposits will have a massive value if harnessed and will help the Philippines become a first-world country. Furthermore, according to the video, the Marcos administration, has started the mining of deuterium in the country.

The first claims on deuterium deposits in the Philippines can be traced back to the aftermath of the 1986 EDSA revolution. In 1987, an article was released by the Media Mindanao News Service that claimed that the largest deposit of deuterium could be found in the Philippine Deep in Surigao Norte. The claim was made by a local “scientist” named Cesar Escosa, who went on to say that harnessing this deuterium could make the Philippines exorbitantly wealthy.  

Fact checks from organizations such as Rappler and the Vera Files have gone on to debunk these claims, as well as question Escosa’s legitimacy as a scientist. 

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., during his time as a senator, also made similar claims in two bills that he filed: Senate Bill 2593 and Senate Bill 408. Both were bills proposing a Hydrogen Research and Development Center that died at the committee level. No new bills for hydrogen research or deuterium research have been made since. 

Deuterium mining:  As of writing, no official reports from news outlets have been made regarding the start of deuterium mining per Marcos’ orders. Furthermore, there have been no announcements from government agencies such as the Department of Energy regarding this matter. – Katarina Ruflo/Rappler.com

Katarina Ruflo  is a volunteer 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.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.