By Darryl John Esguerra | Philippine News Agency
On Monday, June 16, Malacañang slammed Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte for sharing an AI (artificial intelligence)-generated video on social media, branding their actions as irresponsible and damaging to public trust.
The video, which depicted two male students explaining their opposition to the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, was revealed to be artificial.
Despite being labeled with the hashtag #AI, many viewers believed it was real—including Dela Rosa, who reposted it and was met with criticism from netizens.
In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the act of sharing fake content by public officials undermines government efforts to combat disinformation.
“Ang pagsha-share ng mga katulad niyan—muli disinformation, fake news—hindi po sana nanggagaling sa mga opisyal ng pamahalaan,” Castro said.
“Nakakaduda, mas nakakawala ng tiwala kung mismong sa matataas na opisyal nanggagaling ang mga disinformation at fake news,” she added.
The Palace official noted that the video was quickly debunked by the public and emphasized the administration’s ongoing efforts to fight fake news.
“Mabuti po at ito ay na-correct at napansin ng ating mga kababayan. Ang sabi nga po natin, kahit ang PCO, ang pamahalaan, gumagawa ng paraan para mapahinto ang fake news. Pero mas kakayanin po natin ito kapag po tayo ay tulong-tulong,” she said.
Castro urged the officials involved to acknowledge their mistake and take accountability.
“Ngayon na ginawa nila, dapat lamang nilang i-acknowledge na ang pinasa nilang video ay hindi totoo at hindi tunay.”
Asked if she considers their actions irresponsible, she did not mince words and said: “Opo. Responsibilidad nila ‘to. Dahil ang bawat salita na binibitawan nila sa taumbayan, lider sila, ‘yan ay totoo sa pandinig at pananaw ng bawat isa. So dapat maging responsable sa anumang shine-share nila sa taumbayan. (PNA)
