FACT CHECK: Video of Duterte urging public to support Sara in 2028 is AI-generated

Claim: Video shows Rodrigo Duterte urging the public to support his daughter, Sara Duterte, in her term as vice president and in her plan to run as president in the 2028 elections. 

Rating: FALSE 

Why we fact-checked this: The video, posted on December 3, has already gained 133,000 views, 9,400 reactions, 1,500 shares, and 1,300 comments as of writing. 

The text on the video reads, “PANAWAGAN NI DIGONG SA TAONG BAYAN (Digong’s appeal to the people).” Duterte can be seen speaking in the video saying, “Mga kababayan, buong tapang kong ipinapanawagan ang inyong buong suporta sa aking anak na si Inday sa kaniyang tungkulin bilang bise-presidente at sa kaniyang pagtakbo bilang presidente ng Pilipinas sa 2028.”

(Fellow countrymen, I boldly call for your full support for my daughter Inday in her role as vice president and in her run for president of the Philippines in 2028.)

He also mentioned that people should support Sara because he fears for his life as those who “destroyed” his honor and freedom still remain in power. “Kaya buong-lakas kong iniiwan kay Inday ang responsibilidad na ituloy ang laban. Siya ang tatayo para sa bayan. Siya ang maniningil. Siya ang [mag]papanagot,” he added. 

(So I wholeheartedly leave the responsibility of continuing the fight to Inday. She will stand up for the people. She will be the one to collect. She will be the one to hold them accountable)

The video did not put any disclaimer that it was generated using artificial intelligence (AI), prompting some Facebook users to believe it to be real. One comment gained 42 positive reactions reading, “Bring tatay home…yes tay.” 

The facts: The video is AI-generated. AI video detector Hive Moderation flagged the video as 99.9% likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content. Deepware Scanner’s Avatarify model also detected 82% deepfake content from the video. 

Sight Engine also flagged a screenshot of the video as 98% AI, with 64% probability that it was created using GPT-4o, an advanced AI model from OpenAI that can process and understand multiple types of input and output — text, audio, image, and video — within a single model. 

Duterte’s ICC detention: The logo of the International Criminal Court (ICC) can be noticed behind Duterte in the AI-generated video. He was arrested and detained in The Hague, Netherlands on March 11 for crimes against humanity following his war on drugs. 

The ICC appeals chamber recently denied Duterte’s appeal for interim release, saying that the conditions set by the Duterte camp were not sufficient to mitigate the risk factors such as evading the case, recommitting the same crimes the detainee is accused of, and jeopardizing the investigation. 

Sara’s presidential bid: Vice President Sara has long been hinting at her 2028 presidential bid even before her father was arrested. In January 2024, she revealed that she will run in the next election but did not specify the position. She also admitted in February that she is “seriously” considering running for president in 2028 after observing that the country is lagging behind other Southeast Asian countries. 

This was also what she hinted at a Hong Kong event last March, while the arrest of her father was waiting upon their return to the Philippines. 

Previous fact checks: Rappler has debunked similar AI-generated videos and photos of Duterte: 

• FACT CHECK: ‘Skin and bones’ photo of Duterte used in Facebook reel is AI-generated 
• FACT CHECK: Photo of bedridden Duterte is fake, digitally altered 
• FACT CHECK: Photo of Duterte ‘CD statue’ is AI-generated 

– 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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