FALSE: SM advisory on face shields selling for P20

Claim:

SM Supermalls and SM Hypermarkets are selling face shields for only P20, following the suggested retail price (SRP) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Multiple Facebook users and pages posted a graphic containing the SM logo and the following text: “Face shields will be available at SM Supermalls and SM Hypermarkets only for P20.00 as per DTI suggested retail price.”

One iteration of the graphic also contained this text: “Tinapos ni SM ang laban..patay ang mga onlinesellers (sic).” (SM has finished the fight, online sellers are dead.)

This claim was flagged by Facebook Claim Check, a tool that detects dubious content. Posts containing this claim were also spotted through social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle.

The graphic was posted by at least 10 pages and two users, overall gaining a total of 5,428 reactions, 982 comments, and 36,217 shares as of writing.

Rating: FALSE

The facts:

SM Supermalls and SM Hypermarket did not release this information. The Department of Health (DOH) set the suggested retail price for non-medical grade face shields at P26 to P50.

On August 7, SM Supermalls addressed the claim on Facebook saying that this information did not officially come from either the SM Supermalls or SM Hypermarket. “Face shields are available for sale in all SM Malls nationwide at various retail prices,” the statement read.

The DOH Department Memorandum No. 2020-0345, dated August 10, set the SRP of non-medical grade face shields at P26 to P50. The memorandum also stated that “a 10% allowable variation to the SRP may be added to account for the distribution cost for the Visayas and Mindanao areas.”

In the past, Rappler had debunked other claims about medical devices, such as a supposed “official” coronavirus face mask and a false claim that prolonged face mask use causes hypoxia and/or hypercapnia. – Loreben Tuquero/Rappler.com

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