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  • 2021-08-24 (xsd:date)
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  • Philippine minister did not advise couples to socially distance after sex (en)
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  • An image has been shared in Facebook and Twitter posts claiming it shows Philippine Interior Secretary Eduardo Año urging couples to practice social distancing after sex to curb the spread of Covid-19. The claim is false; the image has been doctored to add a fabricated quote, and the purported advice is not part of the Philippine government's Covid-19 guidelines. Why are people with this kind of thinking working in government? Do they have a brain? You make me shake with anger, reads a Tagalog-language Facebook post shared on August 11. It shows a photo of Año speaking, alongside the superimposed caption, AFTER HAVING SEX, THERE SHOULD ALSO BE DISTANCING, SAYS SEC. AÑO and after having sex, they should also observe physical distancing' to make sure nobody contracts covid. The logo of student journalism platform Explained PH features at the bottom of the image. Screenshot of the misleading post taken on August 20, 2021 The same image was shared here , here and here on Facebook and here on Twitter. The posts surfaced after a resurgence in infections -- partly fuelled by the hyper-contagious Delta variant -- triggered lockdowns in the capital and other areas. The purported guidelines prompted criticism from social media users. Should the government still meddle with married couples' private lives? one person commented. This is ridiculous coming from [the interior department]. This is giving out misinformation to people. Is the health department aware this is happening? another wrote. However, the claim is false. A reverse image search and keyword searches found a similar image of Año posted here on Explained PH's Facebook page on August 9, 2020. The text superimposed on the image reads, AT HOME THERE SHOULD BE SOCIAL DISTANCING, SAYS SEC. AÑO and That's why there should still be physical distancing at home because it cannot be guaranteed that siblings or married couples will both test negative [for Covid-19],' he said at a press briefing in June about the government's policy on installing motorcycle barrier. Below is a screenshot comparison of the doctored image (left) and the original image published by Explained PH (right). Screenshot comparison of the doctored image (left) and the original image published by Explained PH (right) Contacted by AFP, Archie Villaflores, associate editor of Explained PH, said that the image in the misleading posts had been doctored. We confirm that the graphic in question was not produced by our team, he said. The group previously issued a statement on Facebook here on August 10, 2020 saying the image was manipulated when it first began circulating on social media. Further keyword searches show the quote in the Explained PH graphic was taken from a statement Año gave at a cabinet meeting on June 5, 2020. The remarks can be heard from the 26:47 to 26:58 mark of this video. Nowhere in the official transcript or video did Año make the purported remarks in the doctored image. Año subsequently pressed charges against the alleged creator of the doctored image, according to this press release issued by his department on September 7, 2020. His office did not immediately respond to AFP's queries on the status of the case. Multiple keyword searches did not find the purported advice featured on the interior department or health department's website. (en)
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