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FACT CHECK: No, this is not a photo of the Philippines' first space satellite

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Agence France-Presse

A Facebook post shares a photo that it claims shows the Philippines’ first satellite in space. The Philippines&#x27; Department of Science and Technology said it was not a photograph of the country’s first satellite. The image has been widely used online for years in reports on China’s Tiangong-1 space station.The October 14 <a href="https://perma.cc/63WK-5W6E">post </a>contains a photo of the purported satellite, which has “PHILIPPINES” written on the panels that extend from its body.Here’s a screenshot of the post:<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/11/16/satellite-post.jpg"/></figure></div>The post, when translated to English, says: “This is the very first space satellite of the Philippines that has been sent to space. Only Digong our father was able to do this”.“<a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/10/18/ninong-digong-duterte-serves-as-sponsor-in-police-director-dswd-execs-baguio-wedding">Digong</a>” is one of the nicknames for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.The Philippines has a satellite program and it has sent at least two orbiters into space -- the first in <a href="http://phl-microsat.upd.edu.ph/diwata1">2016 </a>and the second in <a href="http://phl-microsat.upd.edu.ph/diwata2">October 2018</a>.However, one of the program&#x27;s scientists told AFP that the image in the Facebook post does not show the Philippines’ first satellite.“No, it&#x27;s not,” said Gay Jane Perez, head of the program&#x27;s remote sensing and product development component.She said the Philippines’ first satellite was <a href="http://pcieerd.dost.gov.ph/images/callforproposal/diwata/PCIEERDPRforMicrosat-1152016.pdf">Diwata-1</a>, which was launched into space in April 2016.Duterte became president in June 2016, after <a href="http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2016/05/27/official-count-duterte-president-robredo-vp.html">winning </a>a landslide victory the prior month.This picture from the<a href="http://global.jaxa.jp/press/2016/04/20160427_diwata1.html"> Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency</a> shows Diwata-1:<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/11/16/20181116-satellite.jpg"/></figure></div>A reverse image search revealed the photo in the Facebook post has been used repeatedly in reports dating back to early <a href="http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Chinas_1st_space_lab_Tiangong_1_ends_data_service_999.html">2016</a> about China’s Tiangong-1 space lab.The image, which is credited to China’s space agency CMSE, was used in mainstream reports like this one in the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/mar/30/chinas-tiangong-1-space-station-will-crash-to-earth-this-weekend">Guardian </a>and this one on <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-16/chinese-space-lab-tiangong-1-is-hurtling-towards-earth/9054228">ABC Australia</a>.The misleading post was published by a Facebook page that supports Imee Marcos, the daughter of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos. The Marcos family is Duterte’s <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/10/27/17/phlpost-on-dictator-marcos-stamp-we-are-just-following-guidelines">ally</a>.The post has been shared more than 700 times.

The misleading post was published by a Facebook page that supports Imee Marcos, the daughter of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The misleading post was published by a Facebook page that supports Imee Marcos, the daughter of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos.