FALSE: Apolaki Caldera will wipe out the Philippines in 2027–2028

A Facebook post warns that the Apolaki Caldera, an underwater supervolcano east of Luzon, could erupt between 2027 and 2028 and cause the disappearance of the entire Philippines.
The clip has gained widespread attention, amassing over 20,000 reactions along with thousands of shares, and comments.

CLAIM: A Facebook post claims that the Apolaki Caldera, an underwater “supervolcano” in the Philippine Rise, is active and could erupt between 2027 and 2028, potentially wiping out the Philippines.

RATING: FALSE

CONCLUSION: There is no scientific basis for claims that the Apolaki Caldera is active or could erupt in the coming years. Philippine Emergency Alerts, an information network that monitors geological and disaster-related updates, debunked the viral claim, stating that Apolaki is an extinct submarine volcano and poses no threat of eruption.

The facts:

• In a post debunking the claim, Philippine Emergency Alerts said, “Ang Apolaki ay nabuo milyon-milyong taon na ang nakalipas, at natukoy ng mga eksperto na wala na itong aktibidad sa loob ng mahigit 26 milyong taon. Sa madaling salita, matagal na po itong patay o “extinct” na bulkan.(Apolaki was formed millions of years ago, and experts have determined that it has shown no activity for over 26 million years. In other words, it has long been a dead, or ‘extinct,’ volcano.)
• Located in the Philippine Rise (formerly Benham Rise), Apolaki Caldera was discovered in 2019 by marine geophysicist Jenny Anne Barretto and her team using advanced bathymetric mapping. While it is one of the largest known calderas in the world, subsequent geological studies confirm that Apolaki has been inactive for millions of years and shows no signs of magma movement, gas emission, or pressure buildup.
• Meanwhile, the viral images circulating online allegedly showing a “glowing” satellite view of Apolaki are AI-generated and not real scientific imagery, according to Philippine Emergency Alerts. “Hindi po iyon totoong satellite image. Isang Artificial Intelligence o AI Image Generated lang po iyon — pinalabas na parang totoo para kumalat at takutin ang mga tao,” the organization said. (That is not a real satellite image. It was generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) — made to look real in order to spread and scare people.)

The bottomline:
What’s spreading online is pure disinformation. Apolaki is an extinct underwater volcano, not a ticking time bomb. The claim exploits fear and misunderstanding of geology—proof that AI-generated hoaxes can easily spark panic when disguised as science.