FACT CHECK: Posts promising cash aid, rice subsidy for all national ID holders are fake

The links to the alleged list of areas covered by the supposed nationwide program lead to a third-party blog site to trick social media users into typing in sensitive personal information

AT A GLANCE

• A claim circulating on social media states that all national ID holders in the Philippines are eligible for cash aid and rice subsidies starting October 20, which has been rated as false.
• The Philippine Statistics Authority clarified that possessing a national ID does not guarantee any form of aid, and benefits are subject to existing policies and qualifications.
• The video promoting this claim is AI-generated and contains links to a suspicious registration form, which may expose users to scams and identity theft.

This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors.

Claim: All national ID holders, including non-Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, are eligible to receive a cash aid and rice subsidy starting October 20.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim was posted by Facebook page Ph News Alert 24 on October 19. The page currently has over 26,000 followers.

As of writing, the video containing the claim has amassed over 42,400 reactions, 11,600 comments, 9,000 shares, and 3.2 million views.

The video shows a host of a supposed news organization detailing the registration process for the program. Graphics on the video also show October 20, 22, 29, and 30 as the supposed payout dates.

“Lahat ng may national ID ay merong makukuhang P5,000 at rice subsidy. Lahat ng Filipino… Ang registration form ay makikita dito sa aming post at comment section. Kapag nakapag-register ka na, i-comment ang pangalan ng mayor niyo para matawagan namin kaagad,” the host said.

(Everyone with a national ID will receive P5,000 and a rice subsidy. All Filipinos… The registration form can be found here in our post and in the comment section. Once you have registered, comment the name of your mayor here so we can call right away.)

The posts encourage social media users to share the video to spread the alleged good news. The page has also reposted the same claim multiple times, each racking up thousands of views.

The facts: There is no nationwide cash aid and rice subsidy distribution program for all Filipinos who have a national ID. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) earlier released an advisory on May  7 debunking claims that all national ID holders are automatically eligible to receive certain benefits promised in various AI-generated videos.

“Ang pagkakaroon nito [national ID] ay hindi nangangahulugan ng awtomatikong pagtanggap ng anumang uri ng ayuda o assistance. Ang pagbibigay ng benepisyo ay nananatiling nakabatay sa umiiral na patakaran, proseso, at kwalipikasyon ng bawat ahensya na nagpapatupad ng mga programang ito,” the advisory reads.

(Possessing a national ID does not automatically guarantee the receipt of any form of aid or assistance. The granting of benefits remains subject to the existing policies, processes, and qualification requirements of each agency implementing these programs.)

The video itself is also AI-generated. Results from the detection tool HiveModeration flagged it as 68.2% likely to be an AI-generated video and 96.7% likely to include AI-generated audio. It also scored 83% likelihood on UndetectableAI. 

Fake links: The links in the caption and comment section redirect users to a fake registration form embedded in a blog website — not an official government website.

Phishing link checking tool EasyDMARC flagged the link as suspicious. Using such sites and providing sensitive personal information may expose users to identity theft and other scams. (READ: Phishing 101: How to spot and avoid phishing)

Rappler has previously debunked fake links to alleged cash aid and rice subsidy registration websites:

• FACT CHECK: Post offering cash, livelihood aid under Bong Go’s name is fake
• FACT CHECK: Impostor Facebook group shares fake DSWD cash aid offers
• FACT CHECK: UPLIFT aid is for eligible beneficiaries, not all Filipinos with valid IDs
• FACT CHECK: UPLIFT program does not offer P5,000 cash aid, rice subsidy to all Filipinos
• FACT CHECK: DSWD not offering cash aid to senior citizens through Facebook
• FACT CHECK: Online registration links for DSWD, DepEd student aid programs are fake
• FACT CHECK: No free electricity, subsidies for national ID, vaccine card holders

 – Lourence Angelo Marcellana/Rappler.com

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.