Palace urges officials to stop sharing fake news after Bato post tagged as AI-generated

Malacañang urged government officials on Monday to refrain from sharing disinformation online after Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa reportedly posted a video on social media of students expressing their opinions on the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The video has since been tagged by internet users and groups as generated by artificial intelligence.

"Ang pagse-share ng mga katulad na ganyan, muli disinformation, fake news, hindi po sana nanggagaling sa mga  opisyal ng pamahalaan. Nakakaduda, mas nakakawala ng tiwala kung mismo sa matataas na opisyal nanggagaling ang mga disinformation at fake news," Palace press officer Usec. Claire Castro said.

"At mabuti po at ito ay nai-correct at napansin po ng ating mga kababayan. Ang sabi nga po natin, kahit po ang PCO, ang pamahalaan ay gumagawa ng paraan para mapahinto ang fake news, pero mas kakayanin po natin ito kapag po tayo tulong-tulong," she added at a press briefing.

"Katulad po ng sinabi po ninyo, kayo na po mismo at ang iba nating mga kababayan  ay nagsabi na ito ay AI-generated at hindi totoo. So, maraming salamat sa inyong pagtulong sa pamahalaan para ma-detect natin ang mga fake news na minsan ay mga taga-gobyerno pa ang gumagawa," Castro said.

(We hope government officials will not share disinformation and fake news. It fosters doubt, and trust is eroded when ranking officials become the sources of disinformation and fake news. It's good that this has been corrected, and our countrymen noticed it as fake news. The PCO and the government are taking steps to address fake news, but this will be more doable if we help one another. As you said, you and our countrymen have said that it is AI-generated and isn't true. Thank you for your help in detecting fake news that sometimes comes from government officials.)

Asked to comment on the legitimate message of the AI-generated video, Castro said, "Sino ang magsasabing legit at hindi legit na isyu. Kunt ito ay galing sa isang fake news or AI-generated? So, hindi tayo puwedeng magsabi na ito ay lehitimo or ilehitimo ang isyu."

The video in question reportedly showed two students saying why they opposed the impeachment trial of Sara Duterte.

Dela Rosa was said to have remarked online, “Mabuti pa ang mga bata nakakaintindi sa mga pangyayari. Makinig kayo mga yellow at mga komunista!”

Sara Duterte said she saw no problem with sharing these AI-generated videos online as these were not for profit.

“Wala naman problema siguro sa pag-share ng AI video in support of sa akin, basta hindi ginagawang negosyo," Sara Duterte said.

"Kumbaga if I were a social media account owner at gagawa ako ng AI to support a certain personality, wala namang problema doon kasi hindi ko naman ginagawang negosyo, hindi ko naman binebenta sa mga tao ang produkto ko eh,” she added.

(I think there’s no problem in sharing the AI video in support of me, as long as it is not being used as a business. If I were a social media account owner and I created an AI video to support a certain personality, there's no problem with that because I'm not doing it for business, I'm not selling my product to people.)

In his caption, the senator said, “Mabuti pa ang mga bata nakakaintindi sa mga pangyayari. Makinig kayo mga yellow at mga komunista!”

(Children are better at understanding what is happening now. Listen to him, you yellows and communists!) –Llanesca T. Panti/NB, GMA Integrated News