MISLEADING: Aeta family denied in air-conditioned bus despite tickets already paid

A Facebook post by a page named “Philippine Daily” shared that an Aeta family was rejected a ride in an air-conditioned bus despite their tickets already being paid. However, the post did not mention when the incident happened.

CLAIM:

The post claims that a concerned citizen named “Carlo Martin” recounted that the conductor told the family that they were only for an ordinary bus, so the family instead waited for another bus to avoid the situation from rising.

RATING:

Misleading

CONCLUSION:

While an Aeta family was indeed denied access to an air-conditioned bus and the photo was from the incident, the original post was published in 2019 by a person named “Mikhael Petito,” in which a lot of the details in the fact-checked post were absent.

THE FACTS:

• While the original post can not be found, RMN Networks did an article on the viral post.
• The story came from a commuter named Mikhael Petito, not Carlo Martin, who talked to the family who was bound for Santa Cruz, Pampanga in December of 2019.
• The family was waiting for a bus at a waiting shed in Pasay City, not a terminal where tickets for a ride can already be paid beforehand,
• There is no proof of a conversation happening between the family and the conductor in which the latter said the Aetas were only for the “ordinary bus.” The original also says that the conductor provided no explanation as to why they did not let them in.

BOTTOMLINE:

The post refers to a story that happened 6 years ago and added details in the caption which made the original story sensationalized.