Face-swapped? Deepfake detector flags alleged Marcos video as ‘suspicious’

MANILA, Philippines – Deep fake detection tool Sensity flagged as “suspicious” a video released by Pro-Duterte personalities at the Hakbang ng Maisug event in California hours before the 3rd State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.   

The grainy video depicted a person who was putting something in his mouth before appearing to inhale deeply. The video appeared to resemble a younger Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with a fuller face.

The tool, however, indicated with a confidence rate of 81.8% that a potential “faceswap” may have been done in the video.  

The automated report generated by Sensity noted that “the submitted file is not camera original.” 

It adds that “the presence of FFmpeg, EvidenceLibrary.com, Evidence.com, Shutter Encoder, Deepfakes Web, Runway, Faceswap, Reface, Deepbrain AI, HeyGen, and Hedra in the generation history for this structural signature indicates that this file is not consistent with a camera original file.” 

Faceswap and Reface are generative artificial intelligence tools that are used to artificially replace the face of an individual in a video or photo.

Traces of various devices were also detected in the file format.

It must be noted that AI detection tools sometimes do result in false positives. For this reason, according to Sensity, “further manual analysis is required for additional insight.” 

It is difficult to make a final judgment on the authenticity of the video, however, because none of the key personalities present at the event where it was released appears to have posted the video directly on any of their social media pages.

Most of the versions of the video that were circulated were merely videos taken from the screen on the stage as the organizers of the California event were looping the “original” video. A number of pro-Duterte vloggers circulated these grainy versions of the video on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and X. 

Even Roque, who was present at the event, only posted a video recording of the video itself on his TikTok and Facebook accounts. Roque captioned his post “HUSGAHAN SI VANGAG!”

Roque’s post included an initial zoomed out version of the video which had a label “RAW VIDEO” as well as a version that is labeled “ENHANCED VIDEO.”  Both versions were blurred and grainy, indicating that neither were originals.

Released in the US

From examining various videos circulating on social media, Rappler found that the video appears to have been presented by pro-Duterte vlogger “Maharlika” at the Hakbang ng Maisug event in California. Other pro-Duterte personalities shown to be present at the event included former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and former senatorial candidate Glenn Chong.

In comments she made before the video was shown, Maharlika described it as the “polvoron movie.”

“Polvoron” is a rather crumbly pastry made from a mixture of powdered milk, flour, butter, and sugar. Following the split between the Duterte and Marcos camps, pro-Duterte social media influencers have been accusing President Marcos of abusing illegal substances in posts which liberally used the term “polvoron” as a euphemism for such a substance.

At a protest rally held in Davao City in January 2024, former president Rodrigo Duterte himself accused Marcos of being a drug addict. This prompted Marcos to strike back, blaming Duterte’s foul-mouthed tirade on the latter’s use of fentanyl, an opioid prescribed for patients who suffer from chronic pain.

As the video was being played at the California event, people could be heard shouting, “Marcos resign!” A number of the event’s attendees appear to be members of preacher Apollo Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ, showing placards bearing the text “Justice of KOJC victims.” Quiboloy is a fugitive with standing warrants of arrest for trafficking, child and sexual abuse, and is on the FBI’s most wanted list. Some attendees of the event also wore statement shirts that say “Justice for Apollo Quiboloy.”

PNP task force formed

Shortly after the supposed Marcos video was circulated, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos held a press conference announcing the creation of a task force that will be investigating the “malicious” circulation of the alleged video ahead of the President’s SONA. Video from the presscon is embedded below.

Abalos said he does not believe that the person in the video is Marcos. “Those are not his features.” During the press conference, Abalos presented a comparison of screenshots of the individual in the viral video and compared them with a photograph of the President. The screenshots zoomed in on the ears of the individual in the alleged Marcos video and compared it with the President’s ears. “Look at his ears and judge by yourselves.” 

Abalos also questioned the reason why the video was circulated abroad and not in the Philippines. “You tell me, why did they have to do that abroad?”

Police General Francisco Marbil for his part said that the task force will look into gadgets that were used in the distribution of the “malicious” video as well as the liability of the individuals who circulated the video.

The Department of National Defense also posted a statement on X calling the circulation of the video a “maliciously crude attempt to destabilize the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.”

It also described the release of the video in the US as “a cowardly attempt to escape Philippine criminal jurisdiction.” – Rappler.com