Latest news with #Tagalog-language
AFP
15 hours ago
- AFP
AI-generated videos used to tout non-existent Philippine government subsidy
"DSWD education cash assistance for everyone in school," reads the English and Tagalog-language caption of a Facebook video shared on July 9, 2025. The caption also includes a link where people can register for the purported cash assistance programme offered by the Philippines' Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The video shows a man wearing a DSWD branded shirt speaking to camera from a school yard, with students milling about in the background. He claims all students are entitled to varying amounts of educational cash assistance, depending on their grade and urges them to register online through the provided link. Superimposed text on the video says the cash will be paid out on July 12. The logos of the DSWD and the Department of Education are also superimposed. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured on August 1, 2025, with a red X added by AFP The same video was also shared on TikTok, where it was viewed more than 1.2 million times. Similar videos were also shared elsewhere on TikTok and Facebook. These posts provide a link to a website where people can register their name, address and phone number, but the site is not a government webpage belonging to either the DSWD or education department. Both departments have also issued warnings about the posts. The DSWD said in a July 11 post on its verified Facebook page that the circulating posts and videos were "fake", reminding the public to be wary of information that does not come directly from its official social media accounts (archived link). An earlier post by the DSWD said it "does not offer direct financial assistance for education", but runs a scheme where students in need can receive assistance in exchange for tutoring elementary students who are struggling or have not yet learned to read (archived link). "AI videos being shared by a certain Facebook page about a supposed DSWD Educational Cash Assistance for all students is fake news," added an education department post on its verified Facebook page from July 17 (archived link). AI-generated videos A reverse image search led to more false posts, but Google's "About this image" feature identified the video as having been made with AI. The ability to detect AI-generated images is based on Google's SynthID technology, which was launched by its DeepMind AI lab in 2023 (archived here and here). Image Screenshot of the Google page indicating the video was made using AI A closer analysis of the video shows it contains a watermark in the bottom-right corner for Veo, Google's video-generation platform that allows users to create eight-second videos (archived here and here). The falsely shared video appears to have been created by splicing together three clips each around eight seconds long. Image Screenshot of the falsely shared video's final frames, with the Veo watermark magnified by AFP The falsely shared videos also contains visual inconsistencies, which despite the meteoric rise of AI technology remain an indicator of inauthentic visuals. In one video, for example, two students walking behind the speaker appear to merge into one. Image Screenshots showing two students in the falsely shared video appearing to merge, highlighted by AFP AFP has also previously debunked similar false claims about cash assistance programmes in the Philippines.
AFP
23-07-2025
- Climate
- AFP
Old flooding clips misrepresented as deadly storm hits Philippines
One video, showing waste-filled water reaching the roofs of buildings, was viewed more than 56,000 times after it was shared on Facebook on July 18, 2025. "Storm Crising. The first floors of these houses are already flooded," reads its Tagalog-language caption, using the local name for Tropical Storm Wipha which skirted the country on the same day. A second clip, which similarly shows muddy water lapping at the roofs of houses, was shared more than 51,000 times after it was posted on Facebook on July 22. "Pray for Philippines, 4 Days straight Rain," reads its caption. At least six people died and another six were missing after Wipha swept past the country on July 18, according to the Southeast Asian nation's disaster agency, with a fresh storm brewing off the coast expected to bring continued heavy rain (archived link). Image Screenshots of the misleading Facebook posts captured on July 22 and July 23, with X marks added by AFP The clips were also shared in similar Facebook posts where they were passed off as recent. The videos, however, depict flooding that occurred during deadly storms that struck the archipelago in 2024. Typhoon Gaemi A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the first misleadingly shared clip led to a nearly identical video shared on July 24, 2024 on the Facebook page of Philippine radio station SMNI DZRD 981 (archived link). "WATCH: Floodwaters reaching the roof of houses along Barangay Lambakin, Marilao, Bulacan," reads part of its Tagalog-language caption. The false posts used a mirrored version of the July 2024 video. Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared clip (left) and the July 2024 video (right), with the date highlighted by AFP The radio station credited the video to Karen Alvarez, who told AFP she filmed the video in July 2024. "I am the owner of the video. This was one year ago from Typhoon Carina," she said on July 22, using the local name for Typhoon Gaemi. "The (circulating posts) are only reuploading my video." The state-run Philippine News Agency, which also shared a screenshot from Alvarez's video, reported that more than 52 villages in Bulacan -- a province north of the capital Manila -- were inundated with floodwaters due to Gaemi (archived link). The typhoon triggered floods and landslides that killed at least 40 people in the Philippines, before making landfall in Taiwan and China (archived link). While the original footage is no longer active on Alvarez's Facebook page, similar clips she took show the same neighbourhood devastated by the typhoon (archived here and here). Image Screenshots of clips posted on Facebook by Karen Alvarez on July 24, 2024 Tropical Storm Trami A separate reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the second misleadingly shared clip found it was also posted by video licensing agency Newsflare in late October 2024 (archived link). Its description says it was captured in Camarines Sur province in the southeastern part of Luzon island during Tropical Storm Trami. Philippine media outlet GMA News also shared the same footage of the storm, which killed at least 150 people and forced nearly half a million to flee their homes as it brought heavy rains that triggered widespread flooding and landslides (archived here and here). Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and footage from Newsflare The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 major storms a year and scientists have warned that typhoons are becoming stronger due to human-induced climate change (archived link). AFP has repeatedly fact-checked misrepresented visuals that circulate when disasters strike.
AFP
08-07-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Video does not show 'Israeli air force defection' in war with Iran
"Israel air force had quit and left their fighter planes to save the life of both countries / Good decision, soldiers!" reads Tagalog-language sticker text on a Facebook reel shared on June 20. It shows a group of men and women in uniform walking along a road with sirens and horns heard in the background. Several other Facebook posts peddled the same claim, while another version claims the video shows the Iranian army "walking out" from the war. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post taken on July 6, 2025, with the red X mark added by AFP Following a US-announced ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent Iran from ever rebuilding its nuclear facilities, raising the prospect of further conflict. However, the circulating clip was shared months before the war and shows an unrelated event. Tel Aviv protest Google reverse image searches of the video's keyframes led to an X post by Israeli journalist Bar Peleg on November 6, 2024 (archived here and here). The Hebrew-language description states border police officers at the Ayalon highway were moving to extinguish bonfires during a protest. At the clip's five-second mark, a woman in uniform can be seen holding a fire extinguisher. Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the identical footage uploaded to X in November 2024 Peleg shared another similar clip minutes later, saying the police were not attempting to clear protesters on the road (archived link). AFP published footage from a protest in Tel Aviv against the sacking of defence minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024, which shows demonstrators had set fires along a stretch of the Ayalon highway in the city (archived link). The 2022 Google Maps Street View of a portion of the Ayalon highway shows the same skyscraper named "Electra" on the left side of the highway (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the Google Maps Street View of the Ayalon Highway, with corresponding elements highlighted by AFP Other identical features from the falsely shared video include the bridge's V-shaped vertical support and the mid-rise buildings at the background (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the Google Maps Street View of the Ayalon Highway, with corresponding elements highlighted by AFP AFP has debunked several other clips falsely linked to the Iran-Israel war here.
AFP
02-07-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Altered NATO summit image accompanies false claim leaders secured ex-Philippine president's release
"World leaders gathered at The Hague, Netherlands for a 'Bring Him Home' meeting to talk about the release of former president Rodrigo Duterte," reads part of the Tagalog-language caption of a TikTok video shared on June 26, 2025. It adds that leaders "agreed with the ICC to release FPRRD (former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte) at the soonest possible date". The video, which has been viewed more than 180,000 times, appears to show an image of world leaders such as US President Donald Trump and France's Emmanuel Macron standing behind a cardboard cutout of Duterte. Posters reading "Bring Him Home" can also be seen plastered on walls in the background. The post surfaced after leaders of NATO countries met at The Hague on June 24 and 25, with the Western political and military alliance agreeing to massively ramp up their defence spending to satisfy Trump (archived here and here). The US leader had repeatedly suggested Washington could withhold protection from European countries unwilling to spend more on defence, but signed off on a final declaration confirming an "ironclad commitment" to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's collective defence pledge that an attack on one is an attack on all. The Hague is also where Duterte has been detained since early March for alleged crimes against humanity tied to his crackdown on drugs that killed thousands of mostly poor men (archived link). Image Screenshot of the false post taken on July 2, 2025, with the red X mark added by AFP The image appearing to show world leaders supporting Duterte was also shared in similar Facebook posts. "Good for Father Digong. Even after his term ended, he is being included by other countries. They must really love him," read a comment on one of the posts, using a nickname for the former president. Another said: "This makes me cry. So touching." While the former Philippine president's defence team have filed a motion for his interim release, ICC prosecutors have formally opposed the application (archived here and here). His request for interim release is not mentioned in the NATO summit's declaration issued on June 25, and Duterte remains in ICC detention as of July 2 (archived link). NATO social dinner A reverse image search on Google of the image accompanying the false posts led to a similar photo posted on NATO's official website on June 24, as part of a slideshow about a social dinner hosted by the Netherland's King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at the Huis ten Bosch palace (archived link). Unlike in the falsely shared image, no cutout of ex-president Duterte was placed in front of the Dutch royal family nor were any posters plastered on the walls of the royal palace. Image Screenshot comparison of the altered image (left) and the NATO photo (right), with differences highlighted by AFP A similar photo uploaded to AFP's photo archives also shows the circulating image was altered. Subsequent reverse image searches led to photos of a similar cutout of the ex-Philippine president in a March 29 Facebook post by pro-Duterte Senator Ronald dela Rosa (archived link). The "Bring Him Home" posters, meanwhile, correspond to those seen in a March 16 Facebook post shared by staunch Duterte ally Senator Robin Padilla (archived link). AFP has debunked several false claims about the ex-president being released from detention.
AFP
30-06-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Ex-Iranian president did not die in latest Iran-Israel war
"Breaking news! Helicopter crash / According to the report, the plane carrying Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi exploded (June 24)," partly reads the Tagalog-language caption of a Facebook post shared on June 25. It displays an image that appears to be from a TV report, with The Tagalog-language chyron says, "Foreign leaders offered their condolences after the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi." Image Screenshot of the false post taken on June 26, 2025, with the red X mark added by AFP The posts circulated after Iran retaliated against Israel's major bombardment campaign on June 13 targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites and killing top officials (archived link). Residential areas have also been hit in the fighting, with the health ministry in Tehran reporting at least 627 civilians killed and 4,900 wounded (archived link). Iran's retaliatory attacks on Israel have killed 28 people, according to official figures. While Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow war for decades, their 12-day conflict was by far the most destructive confrontation between them (archived link). A US-proposed ceasefire between Israel and Iran appeared to be holding (archived link). US President Donald Trump had accused both countries of violating the ceasefire he announced late June 23, but hours later he said that it was in effect. Several other users re-shared the circulating TV report as recent, and comments on the post indicate some users were misled. "Maybe this is just a show. Because Iran attacked last night," one user said. Another wrote: "Haha smell something fishy. Why did he die? Because they lost to America". But the widely shared image is from a news report in May 2024. of the news chyron found that the Philippine broadcaster News5 uploaded the report on its verified TikTok page on May 21, 2024 (archived link). The report originally aired on the May 20 newscast of News5's Frontline Pilipinas (archived link). Its video caption said in Tagalog: "The president of Iran was killed in a helicopter crash. The Iranian foreign minister also died from the accident." Visuals shared in the false post corresponded to the 1:06 mark of News5's video. Image Screenshot comparison of the false Facebook post (left) and the News5 report uploaded on TikTok, with the red X and rectangular elements added by AFP AFP reported the helicopter apparently made a "hard landing" in the Dizmar forest between the cities of Varzaqan and Jolfa in Iran's East Azerbaijan province, near its border with Azerbaijan, under circumstances that remain unclear (archived link). Former health minister and long-time parliamentarian Masoud Pezeshkian replaced the late Raisi after winning the 2024 presidential polls (archived link). The election was called early following the death of the ultraconservative president Raisi, and took place amid heightened regional tensions and domestic discontent (archived link). AFP has debunked other false information on the Iran-Israel war here.
