CLAIM: A realtor’s Facebook page posted an advertisement claiming a famous house in Baguio City is for sale for P5,000.
In a post on Monday, January 31, the realtor named Baguio Dream House Realty posted an advertisement for a white house on its Facebook page.
The format of the publication material resembled other legitimate posters of properties for sale.
The post also included the supposed price, description, and location of the house which is said to be at Teacher’s Camp, Baguio City.
RATING: This is fake.
FACTS: The realtor did not immediately disclose that the white house being showcased is the popular tourist spot in the City of Pines, the Laperal White House, which is also dubbed a “haunted house.”
A reverse image check on the house in the realtor’s post would show photos of the Laperal House.
The realtor also wrote a disclaimer on its post, making it an official humorous fake post.
“Disclaimer: This is for entertainment purposes only. IT’S A JOKE. @CCTO,” the post read.
The descriptions included in the post were also written in jest.
“Murang mura lang mga ma’am/sir. Maganda ang location, tahimik. Malapit sa sementeryo. Medyo luma lang pero pwede naman iparenovate,” the description read.
“Automatic front door, kusang bumubukas sa gabi. Pwede sa mga single at gusto mapag isa, pero huwag po kayong mag-alala kasi kahit mag isa ka, para kang may kasama,” it added.
It also jokingly mentioned that future owners may hear cries inside the house at night.
“ISSUE: May umiiyak tuwing gabi,” the post said
Moreover, the house itself is also not for sale.
The original owners of the infamous White House located along Leonard Wood Road, near Teachers Camp, were the Laperal clan, hence the name.
The family reportedly built and lived in the house in the 1920s.
However, according to hearsays, during World War II, Japanese soldiers used the house as a garrison to torture and murder women and suspected spies.
Based on reports, Lucio Tan bought it in 2007.
The Tan Yan Kee Foundation, Inc., the social responsibility arm of the Lucio Tan Group, later set up a gallery for art exhibits in the ancestral house.
It was then opened to the public around 2015.
However, travel reviews said the famous house is now temporarily closed to the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why it matters
Despite being uploaded for entertainment purposes, some social media users in the comments section seemed to be convinced that the advertisement for the supposed white house for sale is real.
“G talaga ako kung legit,” a Facebook user commented.
“Totoo ba to?” another Facebook user asked.
Some social media users, on the other hand, rode the page’s antics.
“I think this would be my dream house ever,” a Facebook user said in jest.
“Pwede naman patahanin ung umiiyak… bigyan ng gatas….or better yet wag gutumin para hindi umiyak,” another online user quipped.
The false advertisement has earned over 33,000 laugh reactions, over 630 likes and more than 150 heart emojis and 82 shocked emojis.
The post also garnered more than 8,600 comments and 19,000 shares.
Meanwhile, based on its profile, the original uploader introduced itself as an online realtor.
“Baguio Dream Homes Realty is an online realtor. Everyday more and more people are turning to Baguio Dream Homes Realty to look for their dream homes in the City of Pines,” its profile read.
Its Facebook and Instagram accounts also upload real estate posters for properties in Baguio City.
