FACT CHECK: 2022 photo of Quezon governor’s helicopter trip taken out of context

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In a statement, Quezon Governor Helen Tan said the photo circulating online was taken in 2022 during a relief mission after Super Typhoon Karding

Claim: Quezon Governor Angelina “Helen” Tan recently traveled by helicopter, allowing her to fly over uneven roads on the Pagbilao to Bicol route.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim was posted on a Facebook page with 271,000 followers, and the post has 109 shares, 315 comments, and 823 reactions as of writing.

The post includes a photo of Tan on a helicopter with the text “POV: Pauwi na mga feeling artista sa probinsya” (POV: The wannabe celebrities are heading back to the province.)

The post was uploaded on April 15 as millions of Filipinos began traveling to their home provinces in observance of Holy Week. 

The post’s caption states: “Kaya naman pala hindi madaanan ni Doktora Helen Tan ang lubak sa Quezon (Pagbilao to Bicol) kasi naka helicopter ngani. Goodluck nalang sa [mga] byahero.”

(No wonder Dr. Helen Tan has not experienced going over uneven roads in Quezon (Pagbilao to Bicol) because she flies over them in a helicopter. Good luck to the rest of us who have to travel by land.)

Some social media users posted comments criticizing Tan for allegedly wasting public funds to avoid inconveniences experienced by ordinary citizens.

The facts: While the post’s caption suggested that the photo of Tan was taken recently, the Quezon governor clarified in an April 16 statement on her official Facebook page that the photo was taken in 2022 during a relief mission after Super Typhoon Karding.

“Ang post na ito ay mula pa noong 2022, kung saan binisita ni Gov. Doktora Helen Tan ang mga naapektuhang barangay ng Bagyong Karding sa mga islang bayan ng Panukulan, Burdeos, Polillo, Patnanungan, at Jomalig (Polillo Group of Islands),” the statement read.

(This post is from 2022, when Gov. Dr. Helen Tan visited the barangays affected by Typhoon Karding in the island municipalities of Panukulan, Burdeos, Polillo, Patnanungan, and Jomalig (Polillo Group of Islands).)

The false claim surfaced amid the Holy Week travel rush and just days before the official campaign ban on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday began. According to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution No. 10999, any campaign-related activity — including social media posts — is prohibited during the Holy Week holidays.

Violations of the campaign ban are punishable under the Omnibus Election Code with penalties like fines, imprisonment of up to six years, permanent disqualification from holding office, and the forfeiture of the right to vote.

Election bids: Tan is running for reelection in the 2025 midterm polls. Her son, Keith Micah “Atty. Mike” Tan, is running unopposed for reelection as the fourth district representative, while another son, Keith Mikhal “Kim” Tan, is seeking a seat on the provincial board. (READ: Quezon province: How Tan, Alcala, Suarez dynasties fare heading to midterms)

Tan first entered politics in 2013, breaking the Tañada family’s decade-long control over Quezon’s fourth district. In 2022, she made history as Quezon’s first female governor, defeating veteran politician Danilo Suarez. – Marjuice Destinado/Rappler.com

Marjuice Destinado is a Rappler intern. She is also a fact-checker and researcher-writer at Explained PH. A third-year political science student at Cebu Normal University (CNU), she serves as the feature editor of Ang Suga, CNU’s official student publication.

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