"Clearly President Marcos' Voice"... Philippine Authorities Take Legal Action

"Possibility of 'Foreign Actors' Behind"
Authorities Launch Investigation

A video containing a deepfake audio manipulated to make it seem like Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos was instructing the Philippine military to take action against China has spread online. In response, Philippine authorities have launched measures, citing the possibility of a behind-the-scenes actor.

On the 27th (local time), local media such as the Philippine Star and Manila Times, as well as Bloomberg News, reported that the Philippine presidential palace stated there is a high likelihood that a "foreign actor" is behind the spread of the video containing the fake audio.

Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Philippines [Photo by EPA/ Yonhap News Agency]

The file was released on YouTube on the 22nd. It features President Marcos’ voice saying, “We can no longer allow the Filipino people to be hurt by China’s actions. Not a single individual will compromise in protecting what rightfully belongs to us.”

The presidential palace’s public relations office explained in a statement, “This deepfake audio made it appear as if the president was instructing the Philippine military to take action against a specific foreign country. No such instruction was given.”

Philippine authorities believe the video was created using generative artificial intelligence (AI). The video has been spreading on social media amid rising tensions between the Philippines and China over territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Authorities detected the spread of this video earlier this week, and since then, it has been removed from multiple social media platforms. They stated that they are deleting the content and will take legal action to identify and prosecute the perpetrators.

They also urged people to stop spreading fake news, warning that this deepfake could pose a threat to the Philippines’ foreign relations and national security.

On the 22nd (local time), at the opening ceremony of the US-Philippines joint military exercise 'Balikatan' held at the military headquarters in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines, the military leaders of the two countries are shaking hands with Robert Ewing, the US Deputy Ambassador to the Philippines (center), between them.
[Photo by Quezon/AFP Yonhap News]

Earlier this month, President Marcos accelerated the establishment of a joint defense system through a trilateral summit involving the United States, Japan, and the Philippines. The exercises are held in the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, outside the Philippine territorial waters (12 nautical miles, 22.2 km). The training scenarios include reclaiming Philippine islands near Taiwan and the Spratly Islands (Chinese name: Nansha Islands) in the South China Sea that were seized by enemy forces, clearly aimed at countering China.

However, President Marcos has shown a stance of avoiding direct confrontation with China, stating that the intent is not to provoke China.

Meanwhile, deepfake and deepvoice crimes targeting politicians have been ongoing in several countries. A notable example was last year when a fake audio of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring “surrender” spread on YouTube. In January of this year, there was also an incident where voters mistakenly believed they had received a call from U.S. President Joe Biden after receiving a fake phone call containing his voice.