Picture of extreme floods, naked hillsides in Cebu because of Hurricane Tino is AI-generated

Whereas Hurricane Tino did trigger huge flooding in Cebu, the picture circulating on-line is AI-generated and bears Google Gemini’s AI watermark

Declare: A photograph reveals the injury brought on by Hurricane Tino (Kalmaegi) in Cebu, with low-lying communities submerged in floodwaters and visual soil erosion on the hillsides which were stripped naked for a building venture.

Ranking: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: Varied accounts throughout a number of social media platforms have been sharing the identical picture of an space in Cebu the place the hillsides have been stripped naked to make means for a building venture, implied to have induced huge flooding within the low-lying communities beneath.

One such publish on Fb garnered over 31,000 reactions, 1,600 feedback, and 12,000 shares. On X (previously Twitter), a publish with the identical picture acquired greater than 600,000 views and 6,600 shares, whereas on Threads, it has earned 3,200 likes.

Whereas the posts didn’t title the precise climate disturbance that induced the flooding, the picture circulated on-line proper after Hurricane Tino hit Cebu, inflicting extreme flooding. The posts’ captions implied that unchecked and unregulated land growth, significantly within the hillsides, contributed to the devastating flood.

The info: Whereas Hurricane Tino did trigger huge flooding in Cebu, the circulating picture is AI-generated.

In line with an evaluation by picture detector Sightengine, the picture is 79% prone to be AI-generated. It additionally bears Google Gemini’s AI watermark on the decrease proper nook, whereas a Google reverse picture search confirmed that the picture had a “Made with Google AI” tag within the “About this picture” part.

Cebu flood: Cebu province was among the many worst hit by Hurricane Tino, the Philippines’ twentieth tropical cyclone for 2025, which unleashed reasonable to torrential rain and powerful to damaging winds within the Visayas and components of Mindanao.

Based mostly on reported information from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Providers Administration, Cebu acquired greater than a month’s price of rain in 24 hours, leading to excessive flooding. As of November 9, the demise toll within the province has climbed to 158, with no less than 57 folks reported lacking.

Monterrazas de Cebu backlash: Whereas the AI-generated picture didn’t specify a location, some social media customers famous similarities between the picture and Monterrazas de Cebu, an upscale real-estate growth venture by civil engineer and actor Slater Younger, positioned on the mountainside of Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu.

The upland growth venture triggered backlash as communities in low-lying areas blamed the venture for worsening floods throughout the onslaught of Hurricane Tino. Some residents complained in regards to the mocha-colored run-off that gathered downstream, which allegedly got here from the free limestone of the uncovered mountainside on the web site. (READ: Monterazzas de Cebu: Why is Slater Younger’s selection of growth web site controversial?)

On November 7, the Division of Atmosphere and Pure Assets stated it can conduct a full investigation to overview the venture’s compliance with environmental laws. The probe would additionally decide whether or not the venture altered the pure landform or induced erosion, siltation, or obstructions in close by tributaries and waterways.

The Cebu metropolis authorities has additionally launched its personal probe into the controversial venture. – Princess Leah Sagaad/Rappler.com

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