Bato spreading lie by sharing AI video on Sara trial — House prosecutors

Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa is peddling disinformation by sharing artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content questioning the impeachment process against Vice President Sara Duterte, the House prosecution panel said Tuesday.

House prosecution panel spokesperson and lawyer Antonio Audie Bucoy made the remark after Dela Rosa, a senator-judge in Duterte's impeachment trial, shared the video clip on his Facebook account. The content showed two supposed students questioning why the Vice President is being singled out when there are other public officials who commit corrupt acts.

Dela Rosa has since then said he does not care if the video is inauthentic because he agrees with the message.

"Kung alam po ni Senator Dela Rosa na fake 'yun, he's propagating a lie (If Senator Dela Rosa knows it is fake, then he's propagating a lie)," Bucoy said in a press conference.

"The message doesn't matter. If the source is fake, how can you rely on the message? If the source is polluted, then the message is polluted. So, pure propaganda. It only emphasizes the bias," Bucoy added.

In the same press conference, Bucoy also dismissed the Vice President's statements that the over 200 lawmakers who signed the impeachment complaint against the Vice President only did so in exchange of huge amounts of money as mere propaganda.

"They won't sign if they don't understand what they are signing off on, especially that it is under oath. There are under the pain of perjury," Bucoy said.

"So those statements are mere propaganda," Bucoy added.

Bucoy said the Vice President should instead answer allegations against her as instructed by the Senate impeachment court.

"Had she answered the allegations during the House investigations, we won't be having an impeachment at all. Ang problema, ayaw niya manumpa, ayaw niya sagutin. Gaya po ng confidential fund. Anong sagot niya? Confidential fund kaya hindi pwede pag-usapan. Mali yun, eh," Bucoy said.

(The problem here is, she does not want to take an oath and she does not want to answer. Take the confidential fund. She said it is confidential, so we cannot talk about it. That's wrong.) — VDV, GMA Integrated News