Some Filipino social media users confused Chile’s laguna with the Philippine province Laguna after a local news site shared a news wire titled “New moai statue found in Easter Island volcano crater laguna.”
Based on this news, scientists found the large stone statue called moai in a dry laguna in a volcano crater on February 21, Tuesday.
These stone figures with elongated faces and no legs were mostly quarried from tuff, a kind of volcanic ash, at the Rano Raraku volcano.
While the discovery of the historical monolithic carved stone figures in Chile was undeniably amusing.
The news about it especially sparked the interest of Filipinos, as others thought that this moai statue was discovered in Laguna, one of the provinces in the Philippines.
“Wooow! Bukod sa hot spring at colettes buko pie meron na rin ganto, mapuntahan nga sa linggo,” an online user commented.
“Saan po banda sa Laguna?” a Facebook user asked.
“Kala ko laguna Philippines,” an online user wrote.
“Another tourist attraction sa laguna, bukod sa hotspring char,” a Facebook user jokingly said.
Laguna province vs ‘laguna’
Laguna, a province located in Region IV-A, also known as CALABARZON, was derived from the Spanish word “lago,” meaning “lake.”
The province was named after Laguna de Bay, the largest inland body of water in the country. It is also the third-largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.
On the other hand, the word “laguna” used in the context of the news wire‘s headline refers to a lake in Chile.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Laguna as a lagoon, lake, or pond.
