FACT CHECK: Viral claim of elderly vendor’s arrest in Matag-ob, Leyte is false

The post falsely presented a 2022 photo of an 80-year-old man from Pangasinan, who was arrested for allegedly stealing mangoes, as a photo of an elderly vendor in Matag-ob, Leyte

AT A GLANCE

• A Facebook post claimed that a 71-year-old man named Paulito Bayong was arrested in Matag-ob, Leyte for selling corn in an unauthorized area garnered significant online attention.
• The Philippine National Police and Mayor Bernardino Tacoy both denied the incident, stating it was false and politically motivated, with no record of such an arrest or individual.
• The misleading post used an old photo of a different incident and was edited multiple times, indicating attempts to manipulate the narrative.

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Claim: A 71-year-old man was arrested in Matag-ob, Leyte for selling corn in an unauthorized space.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-check this: The Facebook post by Philippine Digital Pulse, published on August 16, garnered more than 230,000 reactions, 29,300 comments, and 11,000 shares as of writing. The page has over 11,000 followers. 

The post’s caption reads, “Si Paulito Bayong, 71-anyos, na nagbebenta ng mais sa gilid ng kalsada sa bayan ng Matag-ob, Leyte, ay umano’y ipinahuli dahil sa pagtitinda sa lugar na sinasabing hindi awtorisadong puwesto.”

(Paulito Bayong, 71, who sells corn along the roadside in Matag-ob, Leyte, was allegedly arrested for selling in an area reportedly considered an unauthorized vending spot.) 

The post also includes a statement attributed to Mayor Bernardino Tacoy.

“Ayon kay Mayor Bernie Tacoy, ipinahuli umano ang matandang tindero dahil ilegal ang naturang puwestong pinagbebentahan. Aniya, kailangang ipatupad ang mga umiiral na ordinansa at regulasyon kaugnay ng paggamit sa mga gilid ng kalsada at pampublikong lugar,” the post read.

(According to Mayor Bernie Tacoy, the elderly vendor was allegedly arrested because the stall was operating illegally. He said existing ordinances and regulations governing the use of roadsides and public spaces must be enforced.)

Additionally, over 10 accounts reposted Philippine Digital Pulse’s original post, repeating the same allegation. These posts used the same report and publication material, with little to no modification.

The facts: The Philippine National Police (PNP) of Matag-ob, Leyte debunked the report, saying no such incident occurred in the town.

In a phone call with Rappler on August 18, Police Captain Rongy Cidro said they had not encountered any case involving an elderly vendor named Paulito Bayong and confirmed that they do not know any resident by that name.

“It is absolutely fake po and false at wala pong katotohanan. Walang ganoon po na nangyari sa Matag-ob. Wala po kaming kilala na residente d’yan na ganoon ang pangalan [Paulito Bayong],” he said. 

(It is absolutely fake and false, and has no basis in truth. Nothing like that happened in Matag-ob. We do not know of any resident there by that name.)

Similarly, Tacoy also denied the report in a Facebook post, describing the post as politically motivated and intended to undermine his administration.

“Ingon ani na gyud sila ka desperado pag guba sa lungsod nga among gi amuma ug gipangga. Ingon ani na ka hugaw ang duwa sa politika diri sa distrito,” he said.

(They’ve become this desperate to destroy the city that we have cared for and cherished. This is how dirty the political game has become here in the district).

Old photo used: The photo used in the misleading post was originally that of an 80-year-old man arrested for allegedly stealing mangoes in Pangasinan in 2022. The image predates the viral post and is unrelated to the alleged incident in Matag-ob.

Additionally, the misleading Facebook post was edited several times after it was first published on August 16. 

According to its edit history, the uploader made minor changes to the post, including replacing its content with a link to an online shopping platform on August 18.

The original post with the misleading content was restored on August 19. – Jennifer Pading/Rappler.com

Jennifer Jezreel Kaye Pading is an economics student at Visayas State University in Baybay City in Leyte. An Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow for 2026, she is also the Executive Editor of Amaranth and community officer of AYEJ-Leyte Panaad Ha Sinirangan.

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