Fernan Carigma

Despite the recent crackdown by OpenAI on Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven campaigns that support Marcos, Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa has faced significant backlash for sharing an AI-generated video that defends Vice President Sara Duterte during her ongoing impeachment trial. 


The video has been flagged and marked as false information, prompting renewed calls for government officials to act responsibly in today’s digital landscape. 

On June 14, a 30-second clip was originally posted by the Facebook page AY GRABE and quickly went viral, accumulating 7.6 million views along with nearly 70,000 shares and 20,000 comments. 

The clip utilized Google’s latest AI video generator, Veo 3, to create lifelike footage of two students defending Duterte against various allegations. 

However, the video showed certain distorted details, such as unreadable text on uniforms and garbled signage, indicating its artificial origin.

“If the source is polluted, then the message is polluted,” spokesperson for the House prosecution panel, Atty. Antonio Audie Bucoy emphasized in a press conference on June 17.

He was responding to Senator Dela Rosa’s repost of a fabricated video clip that depicted supposed students questioning why Sara Duterte was being “singled out” in the impeachment proceedings.

“Kung alam po ni Senator Dela Rosa na fake ‘yun, he’s propagating a lie,” Bucoy warned.

He stressed that even if public officials agree with the content, they are still responsible for spreading disinformation.

“Mabuti pa ang mga bata nakakaintindi sa mga pangyayari. Makinig kayo mga yellow at mga komunista!” Dela Rosa shared the video on his own Facebook page with this caption, June 15.

Although the video was clearly AI-generated, as shown by the “#AI” hashtag and Veo watermark in the lower right corner, produced by Veo 3, Google’s latest AI model capable of generating highly realistic videos with synchronized audio and speech from merely a text or image prompt, the senator insisted on his stance.

“I don’t care if this post is AI-generated or Manobo-generated. I am not after the messenger, I am after the message,” he stressed out in the comment section of his post.

Journalist Regine Cabato, who reports on disinformation and political influence campaigns, disagreed with Dela Rosa’s framing.

“The medium is also the message. You can’t separate the two, especially when the content is fake. Government officials have a higher responsibility not to become superspreaders of AI-generated propaganda,” she told Philstar.com.

Cabato expressed concern that the rise of deepfakes and AI-generated content threatens public trust in democratic processes.

“How can we expect lawmakers to pass well-informed laws regulating AI or China-proofing our cyber defense when they spread deepfakes themselves, just because it tells them what they want to hear?” she added.

Malacañang has also condemned the senator's actions.

“Hindi po sana nanggagaling sa mga opisyal ng pamahalaan. Nakakaduda, mas nakakawala ng tiwala kung mismong sa matataas na opisyal nanggagaling ang mga misinformation at fake news,” said Presidential Communications Office press officer Claire Castro, June 16.

She emphasized that officials should be held accountable for their online posts.

“Every word they say is perceived as truth by the people. They must be responsible for the information they share,” Castro stressed.

Sara Duterte, however, dismissed concerns regarding the AI-generated video.

“Wala namang problema siguro sa pag-share ng AI video in support sa akin,” she said, when asked to react on Dela Rosa’s social media post.


Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte recently shared a video related to a controversial incident, but he has since deleted it from his page.

This incident arises amid growing global concerns over the misuse of artificial intelligence in politics. Earlier this month, OpenAI permanently banned multiple ChatGPT accounts based in the Philippines that were linked to a coordinated pro-Marcos propaganda effort.

This operation, associated with the marketing firm Comm&Sense Inc., utilized AI to generate partisan content that flooded social media platforms, particularly TikTok and Facebook, often through fake accounts and troll farms.

The AI-generated pro-Marcos campaign, referred to as “High Five,” was flagged for manipulating political discourse and fabricating public opinion through inauthentic engagement. Although there was limited genuine interaction, the content was designed to appear viral and organic, raising significant ethical and security concerns.

As the impeachment trial of the Vice President proceeds, House prosecutors are urging her to address the allegations rather than dismiss them.

“Had she answered the allegations during the House investigations, we wouldn’t be here today,” Bucoy said. 

“Confidential funds? That’s exactly the issue. Saying it’s ‘confidential’ is not an answer,” he added.

As the boundary between reality and fabrication becomes increasingly blurred, digital literacy advocates are urging both the public and, more urgently, officials, to exercise greater discernment. 

The swift emergence of AI tools like Veo and ChatGPT has made it easier than ever to create realistic yet completely fake videos, posing a new threat to public discourse, electoral integrity, and the rule of law.

“We are in a brave new world of politics, and if our leaders can’t tell or don’t care what’s real, we are all in danger,” Cabato warned.