HOUSE leaders yesterday called on the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and its Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center to look into the spread of a deepfake video online making it appear that President Marcos Jr. was ordering the military to act once China attacked the Philippines.
Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. said those responsible for the deepfake must be prosecuted for sowing disinformation, especially since it involves national security.
“This matter involves national security and the malicious dissemination of fabricated information,” said Gonzales. “We should not allow this to happen again. We should not tolerate criminally-minded persons to wreak havoc on our national security and to give our people fake information.”
Part of the video is a fake audio of the President giving orders to the “armed forces and special task groups” to act however they want should China “attack” the Philippines.
In the video, photos of China’s illegal activities in the West Philippine Sea were shown while the audio played.
Deputy Speaker David Suarez of Quezon said the investigating agencies should give the House a periodic report on the progress of its investigation and could also tap private sector experts to help in the probe.
“It should not be difficult for them to identify the origin of the deepfake and those behind it. I suspect this bogus material originated from somewhere in the south of the country,” he said.
Suarez said the supposed recipients of the President’s directive should not listen to impostors and fabricators.
“I trust that they will heed instructions issued only through official lines of communication and from the chain of command. I believe in the professionalism and patriotism of our soldiers,” he said.
‘WHAT RACISM?’
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers urged the Filipino-Chinese community “to police their ranks amid the influx of Chinese students in Cagayan province where Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites are located.”
The lawmaker laughed off claims of Sinophobia and racism in the ongoing investigation of the PNP and the National Security Council (NSC) into the presence of Chinese students in EDCA sites in light of the maritime row between Manila and Beijing.
Cagayan Rep. Joseph Lara has also sought an inquiry into the notable increase in the number of Chinese students in the province.
Barbers, chair of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said the Philippine government welcomes any foreigners, tourists and investors to visit the country as long as they meet all legal requirements.
“Alam mo, iyong mga nagsasabing Sinophobia at saka racism iyon, sila iyong may ganoong tendency. Tayo ay nagtatanong — national security iyong concern. Buti sana kung ‘marites’ lang ito (You know, those who are raising issues of Sinophobia and racism are the ones who have that tendency. We are only asking a question, a national security concern. It would have been okay if we’re only gossiping),” he said.
Civic leader Teresita Ang See, a Filipino-Chinese, earlier raised the Sinophobia and racism issues amid reports about the apparent influx of Chinese students in Cagayan.
Barbers, however, stood firm that the Chinese community likewise needs to police their ranks amid illegal activities involving Chinese, citing the police raid on a townhouse in Taguig City and Parañaque which yielded firearms.
“So, I would urge the Chinese community, the Filipino-Chinese community na kung maaari po sana (to please), police your ranks. We’re not anti-China dito (here),” he said.
