FACT CHECK: UK’s Tower Bridge, Other Famous Landmarks Lighting Up Red, Green for Marcos-Duterte Win is False

Claim: A Facebook post claimed that the Tower Bridge in the United Kingdom lit up in red and green colors, signifying the victory of president-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio as vice president. 

Rating: False

Facts: The Tower Bridge did not illuminate in red and green to celebrate the results of the Philippine national elections. It did, however, light up in these colors to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence back in December 2021.

A photo of the illuminated London Bridge was included in a press statement in the official website of the City of London.

“Tower Bridge was on Thursday (December 16th) bathed in the colours of Bangladesh’s flag to celebrate the contribution of the Bangladeshi community to London and the City, and mark 50 years of the country’s independence,” the statement read.

“London is home to a large Bangladeshi population, with the first migrants arriving as early as the seventeenth century,” it added.

 Similarly, the website of the English-language Indian daily newspaper The Asian Age reported on the red and green colors of the Tower Bridge. This news item carried a photo similar to the one being claimed for Marcos and Duterte-Carpio’s victory on social media.

Marcos has earned more than 31.6 million votes in the recently concluded national elections. Like him, Duterte-Carpio also enjoyed a landslide victory, earning 32.2 million votes based on the final and official tally of the National Board of Canvassers.

World leaders such as US President Joe Biden, China’s Xi Jinping and Japan Prime Minister Kishida Fumio have extended their congratulations to Marcos for his victory.

Why it matters: The photo was carried by several Facebook pages, earning thousands of likes and shares on the social media site. One of these pages – https://www.facebook.com/LoveYooOfficial/posts/138734958740103

– which has been posting content mostly about Marcos and Duterte, was no longer available but garnered 56,000 reactions and shared more than 4,200 times as of May 16. It was first posted on May 12.

The same page not only shared the London Tower Bridge photo, but has been actively posting other famous landmarks around the world in red and green lights as well, implying that other countries are also celebrating the Marcos-Duterte victory.

According to the page’s author who claims to be based in Sydney, Australia, they were just taking their more than 23,000 followers on a “world tour” following the recent triumph of their political candidates.

Another page dedicated to the UniTeam candidates also carried the same photo, which likewise earned thousands of likes and hundreds of shares and comments, attributing it to the results of the national elections. A link to the page – https://www.facebook.com/SOLIDLOYALISTBBM/posts/152829000605514 – has since been rendered unavailable as of this posting.

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