VERA Files
As the sweltering heat continues to hit dangerous levels, a Facebook (FB) post claims that two teachers from Iloilo City died due to heatstroke. The Department of Education (DepEd) refuted this claim.
The post was published on April 23 and continued to circulate this week with the following text:
“Breaking News. Two (2) teachers died of heatstroke today. Sta. Barbara Iloilo. Region VI”
In the comment section, several FB netizens believed the post to be true, offered their condolences and gave tips on how to deal with the overwhelming heat wave that is ravaging the country.
DepEd released a statement denying the claim the teachers died from heatstroke, calling out certain news outlets for “sensationalizing” the deaths of the teachers and casting aside truthful reporting.
In an April 23 statement published on their official FB page, DepEd said the concerned Schools Division Office has reported no case of a teacher dying due to heat-related illness, but confirmed two teachers died in their homes.
“Based on official records, one of our teachers in Sta. Barbara [in Iloilo] passed away last February 2024 due to Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease, while another teacher passed away sometime in March 2024 due to aneurysm,” the department said.
Still, due to the heatwave and the announcement of a nationwide transport strike, DepEd announced in an April 28 statement that all public schools will be conducting asynchronous classes on April 29 and 30.
This post published by a Facebook user emerged after the Department of Health logged a total of 34 heat-related illnesses from Jan. 1 to April 18, six of which resulted in death.
The false post has garnered over 4,000 reactions, 160 comments and 1,700 shares.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
