FACT CHECK | Photos of foreign towers lighting up to congratulate Marcos, Duterte are false

May 13, 2022 , 03:34 PM

(May 13, 2022) – Supporters of former senator Bongbong Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on social media claimed that several towers in different countries lit up with red and green colors to celebrate the victory of the tandem in the 2022 elections.

This claim is false.

CLAIM:

Netizens and social media pages backing the UniTeam are sharing photos of towers located in the Middle East and other foreign countries flashing the campaign colors of Marcos and Duterte-Carpio, claiming that these are a sign of support.

“OFW ng Middle East” was one of the first pages on Facebook that spread such a claim, posting a photo of the Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia with red lights last May 9. Others also shared a collage of the Kuwait Towers donned in red and green lights. Some, meanwhile, shared an airshow with red, green, and white colors.

RATING: False

FACT:

It is common for many towers to flash different colors for different causes but there’s not enough proof to claim that they were made in celebration of the apparent victory of Marcos and Duterte-Carpio.

Those sharing the photos of Kuwait Towers, mistakenly identified as Auckland Tower in some posts, also failed to provide the actual context. On Twitter, the account that posted a matching photo said the tower was lit that way in celebration of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Day.

The Kingdom Tower has also flashed red and green lights to mark the UAE National Day, doing so in 2016.

Meanwhile, photos of the aerobic show performed in Kuwait were not related to the campaign of Marcos and Duterte-Carpio either. In its report, the Baguio Chronicle mentioned that the “Freece Tricolori” performance was for the Italian Week 2018.

The Eiffel Tower in France, also included in the collage, once flashed the same colors for Portugal during the 2016 UEFA Championship.

In 2020, the Burj Khalifa in UAE also showed red and green colors to celebrate the independence of Afghanistan on August 19. It was posted in a tweet by UAE Forsan.

Calgary Tower in Canada, meanwhile, frequently posts what the lights on the tower stand for. It flashed red last February to celebrate the beginning of the Lunar New Year. It also showed green lights to mark the Green Shirt Day honoring the Logan Boulet Effect. It also “raises awareness for organ donor registration in Canada.”

WHY THIS MATTERS

Many netizens have fallen prey to false claims through these photos spreading on social media. Despite being fact-checked, similar posts have continued to spread not only on Facebook but also on TikTok.

Marcos, the standard-bearer of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, was the candidate who benefited the most from online disinformation, according to Vera Files. Tsek.PH, an independent network of fact-checkers, also affirmed that most false reports about Marcos tend to be favorable to him.

So far, the post of “OFW ng Middle East” on Facebook has garnered 50,000 reactions, 1,300 comments, and 9,700 shares. A TikTok video, posted by @yanz_lyrics, has obtained more than 191,600 reactions, over 3,000 comments, and 6,730 shares as of writing.

News 5 is part of #FactsFirstPH which brings together various sectors that are committed to promoting truth in the public space, and exacting accountability on those who harm it with lies. For those interested to join the initiative, e-mail info@factsfirst.ph. Message News 5’s Facebook page if you want to have any claims fact-checked. Read our fact-checking policy here.

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.