French news agency: Hoax on PH’s first satellite in space

A Facebook post featuring a photo that claimed the country’s first satellite in space is fake, Agence France Presse (AFP) said on Friday.

Last Oct. 14, the Facebook page, Imee Marcos for Senator Movement, posted a photo which showed a “purported satellite” with “Philippines” written on its panels. The post also praised President Rodrigo Duterte for creating the said satellite.

“Ang pinakaunang space satellite ng Pilipinas ay napalipad na sa kalawakan. Si Tatay Digong ang nakagawa nito. [This is the very first space satellite of the Philippines that has been sent to space. Only Digong our father was able to do this.]”

However, the French news agency AFP found that the photo was used online for years in reports on China’s Tiangong-1 space station.

The AFP also confirmed from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) that the post did not show the country’s first satellite. Gay Jane Perez, head of the remote sensing and product development component of DOST satellite program, said: “No, it’s not.”

Perez explained that Diwata-1 was the country’s first satellite, which was launched in April 2016. Duterte, however, assumed his post as President in June 2016.

The misleading post was shared for 700 times which was published by a page that supports Imee Marcos, daughter of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.  /jpv

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