A rescue worker carries a flock of farm birds rescued from homes destroyed by the Volcan de Fuego, or “Volcano of Fire,” eruption in El Rodeo, Guatemala, on June 6, 2018. Image: AP/Rodrigo Abd
Photos of animals being rescued from a Guatemala volcano eruption in 2018 have been mistaken as part of relief operations in the Philippines, following the recent unrest of Taal Volcano. The pictures were shared by at least three Facebook pages a day after Taal Volcano’s steam-driven eruption on Jan. 12.
Among the accounts that posted the old photos were Pinoy Social media trending news, Melecio Valero and Beauty Trends Philippines, formerly Beauty Products Online Philippines. They did not state that they were taken in the country, but the timing of the posts have led some netizens to mistake them for rescue efforts following the Taal eruption.
The posts featured five men in ash-covered locations wearing face masks while they carried animals such as dogs and chickens. Also included in the said posts was a picture of a woman carrying a dog amid other citizens wearing face masks.
Valero described those photographed as “brave and kindhearted people.” He also urged his followers to “continually pray for the people who are greatly affected.”
Meanwhile, Pinoy Social media trending news and Beauty Trends Philippines saluted the people for helping save animals, and thanked them for “not forgetting about them.”
However, a reverse image search showed that all except one of the photos were not taken in Taal. Instead, they were animal rescues from the eruption of Volcan de Fuego in Guatemala back in June 2018.
One of the photos seen in all three posts, which featured a citizen in a blue shirt and black cap who was carrying a dog, was taken in 2018 by Luis Echeverria for Reuters. Meanwhile, a picture of a worker clad in a military uniform who held a group of chickens in his arms was photographed by Rodrigo Abd for the Associated Press.
Another photo was included in an ABC News report on the 2018 eruption in Guatemala. It showed a man wearing red clothes while he carried a black dog. The only picture that was taken in the Philippines after Taal Volcano’s eruption was one of a barefoot woman with a dog in her arms. It was taken during a rescue operation in Talisay, Batangas, by Khatrina Martinez for One News.
Before and after the said posts were made, the three pages also shared various posts regarding those affected by the Taal eruption and the ashfall that followed. /ra
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