FACT CHECK: No educational cash assistance from Landbank

Claim: The Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) offers cash assistance for elementary, high school, and college students for academic year 2024-2025. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The post containing the claim was posted on the Facebook group “Abot Kamay Na Pangarap Live Today” which has 323,800 members. As of writing, the post has garnered 102 reactions, 231 comments, and 12 shares. 

According to the post, Landbank is supposedly offering cash assistance amounting to P7,000 for elementary students, P8,000 for high school students, and P10,000 for college students.

Interested applicants are instructed to provide a school ID and send a private message to the post author. 

The facts: The supposed cash assistance program is fake. In an advisory on its official and verified Facebook page, Landbank said that any announcement for a cash assistance or scholarship program that did not come from its official social media channels is a scam. 

In a previous fact check, Landbank told Rappler that its only educational assistance program is the Iskolar ng Landbank Program (ILP), a college scholarship initiative launched in 2023 to support underprivileged students. However, the ILP is not open to all students; only the children or grandchildren of agrarian reform beneficiaries and small farmers and fisherfolk are eligible. 

Landbank has yet to announce the next application cycle for the program.

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Phishing danger: Rappler has debunked several false claims related to the bank:

• FACT CHECK: Link for scholarship program posted by fake Landbank page
• FACT CHECK: No P2,000 Women’s Month cash gift from Landbank
• FACT CHECK: Landbank’s Gawad Patnubay scholarship program ended in 2022

While other fake posts included a supposed link for cash aid applications, this latest post instructed applicants to directly send personal information and proof of identification to the post author. Doing so puts users at risk of having their personal data stolen, which may then be used in phishing scams and identity theft. (READ: Phishing 101: How to spot and avoid phishing)

Rappler has fact-checked similar posts falsely claiming that various government agencies are providing scholarship or cash gifts to graduating students. Landbank has also released an advisory warning the public against these posts.

Official news: For official updates on Landbank programs and services, refer to the official Landbank website and its social media accounts on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube. – Chinie Ann Jocel R. Mendoza/Rappler.com

Chinie Ann Jocel R. Mendoza is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.