Misleading

Facebook posts circulating in the Philippines have repeatedly shared a photo of a petrol station alongside the misleading claim that it shows “affordable gasoline prices” during the term of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose son and namesake won the presidency in a landslide in May. In fact, the image was taken after Marcos Sr was deposed, while historical accounts indicate gas prices soared in the country during his two-decade rule.

“When gasoline was still affordable, Marcos era,” reads a Tagalog-language Facebook post shared on March 4.

The photo shows a gas station belonging to Philippine oil giant Petron, with gas prices listed as: “Unleaded: 11.63 / Extra: 12.10 / Diesel: 7.83”.

However, the posts are misleading.

Rino Abad, head of the Philippine energy department’s Oil Industry Management Bureau, said the gas prices shown in the image corresponded to rates between 1998 and 1999.

Read the full story on AFP Fact Check.

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