FACT CHECK: Viral post on Brunei oil shipment to Davao City is fake

Claim: Davao City got oil supply from Brunei amid the ongoing United States-Israel war on Iran that has obstructed global oil trade.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The post containing the claim was uploaded on March 21, 2026, and has since garnered over 291,000 reactions, 47,200 comments, and 21,000 shares.

The caption says: “DAVAO CITY NAKABILI NG GASOLINA SA BRUNEI. Nakabili na umano ng gasolina sa Brunei ang Davao City, ayon kay PDP Laban Executive Director Astra Pimentel-Naik. Aniya, dumating na sa Davao City ang gasolina galing Brunei. Dagdag pa niya, ‘Pagkakaibigang hindi mawawasak ng pagsubok’.”

(Davao City has bought gasoline from Brunei. Davao City has reportedly purchased gasoline from Brunei, according to PDP Laban Executive Director Astra Pimentel-Naik. She said the gasoline from Brunei has already arrived in Davao City. She added, “A friendship that cannot be destroyed by trials.”)

Another post claimed that Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Z. Duterte said, “Gusto ko lang po ipaalam sa Davawenyos na ang inorder ng Davao Municipality na fuel galing Brunei ay dumating na (I just want to inform Davawenyos that the fuel ordered by the Davao Municipality from Brunei has already arrived).”

Most of the people who commented on and shared the post believed that the oil shipment from Brunei was due to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s good relationship with other world leaders. 

The first post was published by a Facebook page named “Historya Channel,” which has over 1.8 million followers, while the second post was published by a Facebook page named “MD TV Channel,” which has over 588,000 followers. These pages have been consistently posting government-related claims.

The facts: Davao City Information Office Head Harvey Lanticse clarified that there is no information confirming the supposed oil shipment from Brunei to Davao City.

“We have no information regarding the alleged oil supply from Brunei arriving in Davao City. The city government has not held any discussions with Brunei on this matter,” Lanticse said.

Meanwhile, Vincent Dominic Reyes, the chief executive officer and a member of the Reyes family, which owns Starhorse Shipping Lines, clarified that the vessel shown in the viral claim actually belongs to their company. Starhorse Shipping Lines is a domestic shipping company operating in the provinces of Marinduque, Romblon, and Quezon.

“Di na ko pumapatol sa kahit anong facebook post tungkol sa mga Duterte pero tangina naman barko namin yan eh! Brunei brunei kayong pinagsasasabi e sa Dalahican lang yan (I don’t usually engage with any Facebook posts about the Dutertes anymore, but for God’s sake, that’s our ship! What on earth are you talking about with this ‘Brunei’ stuff? That’s just in Dalahican),” Reyes wrote in his post.

Debunked: Rappler has already debunked several false claims about the US-Israel conflict with Iran, its effect on oil and other commodity prices, and supposed statements from government officials:

• FACT CHECK: Current forecasts for oil price surge do not reach P200 per liter
• FACT CHECK: Video of rice price hike amounting to P300 per kilo is AI-generated
• FACT CHECK: Baste Duterte did not send chartered plane for Middle East OFWs’ repatriation
• FACT CHECK: Baste Duterte did not ask China to evacuate OFWs in the Middle East
• FACT CHECK: Robredo did not rebuke VP Duterte’s claims about OFW repatriation

– Reinnard Balonzo/Rappler.com 

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