CLAIM: Palace Press Officer Claire Castro died on June 28.
RATING: FALSE
A post on Threads, Meta’s version of X (formerly Twitter), showed a black-and-white photo of Palace spokesperson Claire Castro, creating the false impression that she had died.
Flagged content: On Threads, user @ckvillaflores13 posted a lengthy rant against Castro.
- It contained a black-and-white photo of the Presidential Communications Office undersecretary, along with dates that read: June 27, 1969-June 28, 2026.
- Although the post did not explicitly mention that Castro died, the format of the accompanying image could highly deceive unsuspecting users.
Our debunk: At the time of writing, Castro continues to host live discussions on her YouTube channel under her program “Let’s Clear it with Atty. Claire.”
- Castro has continued to brief the media in her capacity as Malacañáng’s spokesperson.
- Her most recent recorded appearances, as of writing, were on July 8 and 9 during the regular press briefing in Malacañang.
Rewind: Castro has become a subject of intense scrutiny and ridicule from several political groups due to her recent antics against Marcos Jr.’s political rivals, especially Vice President Sara Duterte.
- Criticism was particularly intense among Duterte’s supporter groups, which branded her as a “fake news peddler.”
- She has become a notable political figure due to her sassy retorts to Duterte’s tirades against the administration. One example was Castro’s “resibo” stunt, where she showed the media printed copies of “evidence” against the vice president.
Why we fact-checked this: Although no explicit claims of Castro’s death were mentioned in the post, its presentation was misleading.
- As of writing, the post has garnered 320 likes, 431 comments, and five reposts.
- Consistent with how disinformation typically spreads on social media, the post could spread to other platforms.
Spot the fake: Death hoaxes are not uncommon on social media. Public figures, including celebrities, are frequently subjected to rumors of their deaths.
- Users should always be careful, practice “reading between the lines,” and look out for cases of “subliminal” disinformation.
- It has become the norm among disinformation agents to hide behind implicit messaging and misleading disclosures. Hurt Allauigan
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FACT-CHECK: Social media post gives false impression of Palace spokesperson’s demise
A post on Threads showed a black-and-white photo of Palace spokesperson Claire Castro, creating the false impression that she had died.
FACT-CHECK: Social media post gives false impression of Palace spokesperson’s demise
A post on Threads showed a black-and-white photo of Palace spokesperson Claire Castro, creating the false impression that she had died.
FACT-CHECK: Social media post gives false impression of Palace spokesperson’s demise
A post on Threads showed a black-and-white photo of Palace spokesperson Claire Castro, creating the false impression that she had died.
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