‘No US visa’ goes viral

MANILA, Philippines - An article from a fake news website on the supposed announcement of the US government of a no-visa policy for Filipino travelers has gone viral, prompting the US embassy to deny the report.

“There has been no change in US visa policy for Philippine citizens wishing to travel to the United States,” the US embassy said in a statement posted on its Facebook account.

“The Philippines has not been added to the list of countries eligible for participation in the Visa Waiver Program,” it added.

The Philippine embassy in Washington also denied the report, saying the US State Department has denied making such an announcement.

The embassy reminded the public not to take the report seriously.

The article, titled “US announces no-visa policy for Filipinos” was released on a fake news site, Adobo Chronicles, on Tuesday.

It said the new policy was announced by the US State Department in time for US President Barack Obama’s visit to the country next week.

The article quoted US Secretary of State John Kerry as saying that the “monumental decision” is “a way to reward the Filipinos for making the US really look good in the survey.” It referred to a supposed study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2013, which found that an overwhelming majority of Filipinos have a favorable view of the US and American citizens.

The article also cited a supposed request from the US embassy for Filipinos not to call their consular office to avoid its phone system from crashing. –With Pia Lee-Brago