A TikTok video about public transport woes in the country was suddenly flagged as “dangerous” on the video-sharing service.
ABS-CBN reporter Jacque Manabat, who released the video, informed her Twitter followers on June 8 about the deletion.
Manabat also attached another TikTok video as a supposed replacement for the flagged one.
“Because my TikTok content on ‘Exercises ng Pinoy Commuter sa Metro Manila’ was flagged as ‘dangerous content, here’s a ‘non-dangerous’ post reflecting the daily plight of the passengers,” she said.
Because my TikTok content on ‘Exercises ng Pinoy Commuter sa Metro Manila’ was flagged as ‘dangerous content,
here’s a ‘non-dangerous’ post reflecting the daily plight of the passengers. pic.twitter.com/0Nfeg7pjV9— Jacque Manabat (@jacquemanabat) June 8, 2022
The new video featured a long line of commuters waiting for jeepney rides along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City at 6:30 a.m.
Manabat also reported this situation on separate social media posts.
In the TikTok version, she placed witty texts or captions on some commuters to describe their supposed thoughts while waiting for jeepney rides.
Some of the texts read are as follows:
- “Ang init. 30 minutes na. Wala pa ba?”
- “Wala pa rin bang jeep? Hanggang kelan ako maghihintay?”
Manabat uploaded the TikTok video in question which she titled “Exercise routines as a Filipino commuter” on Tuesday, June 7.
She also posted it on Twitter on that day.
Staying fit as a commuter sa Metro Manila for today’s video: pic.twitter.com/UtR4KeUVN0
— Jacque Manabat (@jacquemanabat) June 7, 2022
The 18-minute video wittingly showed the daily struggles of commuters in the form of exercise routines.
RELATED: Metro Manila commuter woes in photos, videos: Long queues, crowded terminals for buses, trains
These are as follows:
- Obstacle course
- Running
- Balancing
- Walking
- Pull-up bar
- Cycling (different challenge levels)
Her tweet has so far earned 18,900 likes, 1,431 quote-retweets and 3,321 retweets.
Manabat’s TikTok video itself, meanwhile, could no longer be found on her account.
On TikTok’s policies
Similar to other social media platforms, TikTok moderates its content through its own Community Guidelines where users can use its tools and technology to identify potential “harmful content and behavior.”
Its own users can flag or report any content on the application for additional review by its Safety Team.
Once TikTok’s team finds the video have violated its Community Guidelines, the team will immediately remove it from the application.
According to its guidelines, the following content qualifies as “dangerous acts and challenges”:
- Content that shows the potentially inappropriate use of dangerous tools or objects
- Content that depicts dangerous driving behavior
- Content that depicts or promotes ingesting substances that are not meant for consumption and could lead to severe harm
- Content that describes or provides instructional detail on how to perform a dangerous activity
- Dangerous games, dares, challenges, or stunts that might lead to injury or property damage
How other users reacted
Following the video’s removal, some users speculated on why it was flagged as “dangerous content.”
“Dangerous content,” one user said with face palm emojis.
Manabat replied to one of them, which reads: “Mas dangerous ang misinformation/disinformation na kumakalat sa app na yan, di ba?”
Other users criticized TikTok itself and those who reported her clip as supposedly dangerous.
“Dangerous content????? Thousands experience this every day and there are waaay more harmful stuff on the app and THIS is what gets flagged?” one user said.
“Dangerous content??? It’s reality,” another user tweeted.
Her update soon reached the online forum r/Philippines.
Redditors also slammed the users who reported Manabat’s video, thereby resulting to its removal from the platform.
“Di talaga kaya ng mga Pinoy na harapin ang katotohanan, harapin ang problema. Kaya they rather fall sa ‘napakayamam ng pinas’ na propaganada,” one user said.
