
AI and disinformation fuel political rivalries in the Philippines
Al Jazeera
Duterte supporters step up digital smear campaigns against opponents, using AI-generated content, after his ICC arrest.
Manila, Philippines – When former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March, Sheerah Escuerdo spoke to a local television station, welcoming the politician’s detention on charges of murder linked to his war on drugs.
Escuerdo, who lost her 18-year-old brother, Ephraim, to Duterte’s war, clutched a portrait of her sibling during the interview with News 5 Everywhere as she demanded justice for his killing.
Days later, she was shocked to find an AI-generated video of her slain brother circulating on Facebook, in which he said he was alive and accused his sister of lying.
“I’m alive, not dead. Are they paying you to do this?” the computer-generated image of Ephraim said.
The video, posted online by a pro-Duterte influencer with 11,000 followers, immediately drew thousands of views on Facebook.













