FACT CHECK: Post warning about 6-day phone, internet outage is fake

Claim: An outage affecting Wi-Fi and mobile phone signals from cellular networks Talk ‘N Text (TNT), Smart, Globe, and TM occurred on Friday, November 24, and will continue for six days.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The original and now-deleted Facebook post bearing the claim was made on Thursday, November 23, by a Facebook page named “Magelco” which has 18,000 followers. The page describes itself as a “comedian” page imitating the Maguindanao Electric Cooperative, Inc (MAGELCO).

The facts: On November 23, MAGELCO posted on its official Facebook page refuting the “false and misleading information” coming from the fake account.

“This account is using MAGELCO’s name, logo, and photos. It is also posting false and misleading information about our services, rates, and policies. We strongly advise our member consumers to avoid and report this account as soon as possible,” the post read.

Fake page: The Facebook page posing as the electric cooperative later deleted its post and said, “Sa mga nagagalit [d’yan] sa post ko copy paste ko lang ‘yan.” (For those who are angered by my post, I only copied and pasted that.)

No announcements: There are no advisories or reports from any of the cellular service providers mentioned about a supposed outage in Maguindanao starting at 8 am on November 24 and continuing on for six days. No media outlets also reported the claim.

For legitimate information about network outages, check the official social media accounts of Talk ‘N Text, Smart, Globe, and TM. – Owenh Jake Toledo/Rappler.com

Owenh Jake 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.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.