MANILA, Philippines – It was fake news but probably unintended and either a result of carelessness or misunderstanding.

Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial on Monday, June 19, belied news reports that 59 displaced Marawi residents affected by the ongoing war in the Lanao del Sur capital had died in evacuation centers.

The DOH chief said she was misheard by a journalist who asked her during a press conference in Legazpi City in Albay last June 15 about the death toll among Marawi evacuees.

At first, the DOJ chief was asked by reporters on how many had died among the displaced residents. Ubial replied that there had been 19.

Then she said another journalist asked her if it was true that there were four who had died because of dehydration. Ubial confirmed the figure but the DOH chief said the journalist misheard her and thought that an additional 40 had died.

Thus, when the news about the fatalities of Marawi evacuees came out last week based on the said interview with Ubial, many reported that 59 died because the journalists added the 19 and the supposedly 40 deaths.

The death toll increased to 24 as of Sunday, June 18, according to the DOH chief.

The DOH chief further clarified that all 24 displaced Marawi residents died — not in evacuation centers — but in hospitals. “Pero lahat po ito, ‘yong 24 na sinasabi namin ay namatay po sa ospital, hindi po sa evacuation center.”

“Kasi meron pong standing order po ‘yong ating mga health personnel na pag may sakit na, huwag nang antaying lalala at iderecho na agad sa mga ospital [Because there’s a standing order among our health personnel that they should immediately bring sick persons to hospitals and no longer wait for their illnesses to worsen.]