Associated Incidents
The AI-generated video has misled many Filipinos, including Duterte ally Senator Bato dela Rosa, who shared the video on his social media account
Claim: A video shows two students defending Vice President Sara Duterte and explaining why they opposed her impeachment.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The 40-second video has already received 7.3 million views, 116,000 reactions, 19,500 comments, and 67,000 shares as of writing. It was posted on June 14 amid Duterte's impeachment proceedings.
In the video, two students explained why they opposed Duterte's impeachment, with one student saying he opposes the move "because it is obviously politically motivated."
Another student said, "I mean maraming may confidential funds sa gobyerno, ang iba nga billions pa. (I mean, there are a lot of confidential funds in the government, some even worth billions.) So, why single out the VP? They want justice, but their justice is selective."
The video switches back to the first student, who said, "If these politicians are really serious in cleaning up the government, then investigate all. Isama na rin nila mga sarili nila (They should also include themselves)."
The facts: The video was generated using artificial intelligence (AI). A "Veo" watermark can be seen at the bottom right corner of the video, indicating that it was generated using the said software. Veo is Google's AI-powered video generator that can create videos from text or image prompts. Its latest version allows users to incorporate audio in their AI-generated videos.
Deepfake video detector Deepware flagged the said video as suspicious. Technology service provider EXE Tech Solutions also pointed out in a Facebook post the unrealistic-looking vehicles in the background of the video and the seal on the students' uniforms.
There is no AI label attached to the video, aside from the #AI mentioned in its caption, leading some Facebook users to believe that the video is real. Even Senator Bato dela Rosa, a Duterte ally, shared the video on his social media account with the caption: "Buti pa ang mga bata nakakaintindi sa mga pangyayari. Makinig kayo mga yellow at mga komunista!"
(The youth understand what's currently happening. Listen up, you yellows and communists!)
On June 16, Malacañang criticized Dela Rosa for sharing the AI-generated video, saying government officials should be responsible when sharing information online.
In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said, "Nakakaduda, mas nakakawala ng tiwala kung mismong sa matataas na opisyal nanggagaling ang mga disinformation at fake news."
(It's suspicious, and it further erodes trust when disinformation and fake news come from high-ranking officials themselves.)
Impeachment proceedings: The video surfaced amid the impending impeachment trial of the Vice President. On June 10, the Senate convened as an impeachment court and decided to return the impeachment articles to the House of Representatives, a move that the Senate minority bloc argued was tantamount to dismissal of the case.
The House, on the other hand, certified the following day that the proceedings did not circumvent the Constitution. (WATCH: How impeachment court ended up with decision to send back case vs Sara to House)
Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives on February 5. The impeachment articles cited her alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, among others. (READ: Frequently asked questions on VP Sara Duterte's impeachment trial) -- Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com
Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler's Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024.
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