FACT CHECK: Posts about ‘kidnapping’ in Pangasinan are false

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The Pangasinan Police Provincial Office denies reports claiming that a white van, allegedly involved in child kidnappings, has resurfaced in the province to harvest organs

Claim: A white van, linked to child kidnappings, is resurfacing in Pangasinan.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: There have been numerous posts online, particularly on Facebook, where alleged kidnappers on a white van have resumed their operations. These alleged kidnappers supposedly abduct children and “harvest their organs” which are sold in the black market.

These reports have resurfaced online since the last week of January 2025. A now-deleted social media post even named the towns of Sta. Barbara, Tayug, and San Manuel, as areas where alleged abductions happened.

Another video, uploaded by a certain “Agt Fam” shows an alleged incident in a gasoline station somewhere in Pangasinan, which turns out to be a video from long ago.

The facts: The Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPO) dismissed the reports of kidnapping involving a white van. In an interview over Aksyon Radyo Pangasinan on Thursday morning, February 13, Police Captain Socorro Arciaga, officer-in-charge of the PPO’s Public Information Office said online posts and videos circulating are false.

“For the record, no reports have been received by the police. All these posts are unvalidated”, said Arciaga.

Police officials from said areas have belied the incident, stating that they have received no reports about it.

Arciaga also urged the public not to share unconfirmed reports, as these could instill fear and unnecessary panic among the community.

Police stations in Pangasinan, such as those in the municipalities of Tayug, San Manuel, and Rosales, released statements debunking the circulating kidnapping rumors. Police also reminded the public that spreading fake news is a crime, in accordance with the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

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– Rappler.com

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