DepEd advises public to be wary vs. fake ‘Walang Pasok’ advisory

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday warned the public to be cautious against fake news and fake “WalangPasok” (no classes) advisories. (Photo: DepEd Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA — The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday warned the public to be cautious against fake news and fake “WalangPasok” (no classes) advisories.

This came after the “WalangPasok Advisory” Facebook page apparently circulated an announcement saying there are no classes on November 23, 24 and 27.

When the Philippine News Agency checked the said page, there was a post of a screenshot of another “WalangPasok Advisory’s” post. The screenshot was an announcement indicating that there would be no classes nationwide on November 23, 24 and 27 as “announced by DepEd.”

“WalangPasok Advisory’s” post of that screenshot announcement had a caption saying, “Beware”, and also cited that someone tried to imitate the Facebook page.

In a statement, the DepEd noted that the agency is not associated with “WalangPasok Advisory” page in any way.

The agency said verified announcements can be found at its official website, and official Facebook and Twitter accounts, DepEdPhillippines and DepEd_PH.

Meanwhile, last week, DepEd said that aside from public holidays which are being declared by the national government, class cancellations are being determined by local government units, especially when there is flooding or typhoon in their areas.

“We encourage the public to be more vigilant against fake news and half truths,” DepEd said, adding that the public must be more discerning of the information that they accept and disseminate.