CLAIM: The repatriated overseas Filipino worker (OFW) from a viral photo with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was photographed with members of Gabriela Women’s Party during a women’s day protest.
RATING: FALSE
An AI-manipulated image falsely depicted a repatriated overseas Filipino worker (OFW), who had previously met President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., as having joined a women’s day protest with the members of the Gabriela partylist group.
Flagged content: Multiple social media accounts posted the manipulated image, and maliciously claimed it to be evidence that the woman misrepresented herself as an overseas worker and was even hired by the government as part of a publicity stunt.
- The collage featured a photo of the OFW with Marcos Jr. taken on March 23 and a screenshot of a Tiktok interview with a similar-looking woman and photos from the woman’s day protest in which the OFW was inserted.
- A Facebook account named Trams Elibom first uploaded the image on March 31, with the caption, “Nagpangap na kasama sa napauw OFW paiyak iyak pa.”
- The image was uploaded again the following day by Facebook accounts Harry Reyes and WinstHonie Palomaria, with the captions that read, “kunwari iyaking ofw ka pa ah, tulisang NPA ka pala😂” and “Lahat nalang pinepeke! Ganyan sila kabulok🤮.”
- Known pro-Duterte influencer Jack Argota, who is facing cyber libel charges after sharing false information online about the president’s health, also contributed to the spread of the same graphic, gaining more than 21,000 reactions and more than a thousand shares.
- On TikTok, it was posted by the account named “RESIBO ng BAYAN,” carrying the superimposed headline: “KAISA-ISANG OFW NA LUMAPIT AT UMIYAK PA KAY BBM SA NAIA PAKAWALA NG ADMINISTRASYON!”
Our debunk: PressOne.PH subjected the image through multiple manipulation detection tools. The photo was also analyzed through Gemini’s SynthID Scanner, which confirmed that Google AI had been used to manipulate the image.
- Visual inconsistencies were evident: the “Bagong Pilipinas” logo on the white shirt worn by the OFW appears sharper than the rest of the image, while the hands and fingers of Rep. Sarah Elago appeared distorted.
- Fake Image Detector analysis showed inconsistent compression around the OFW, suggesting that she was likely digitally inserted and that her shirt was altered; EXIF data also indicated that the image had been processed by a software.
- ZeroGPT rated the photo as 47% AI-generated.
- The original photo was taken from a March 8 Instagram post by the Gabriela party’s official account.
Rewind: Marcos Jr. has faced widespread criticisms over the administration’s slow and inadequate response surrounding the conflict in the Middle East, including the repatriation of affected OFWs and the control of fuel price hikes in its wake.
- PressOne.PH previously debunked a fake photo of an OFW supposedly attacking the President over corruption allegations.
Why we fact-checked this: The graphic was repeatedly shared online by known pro-Duterte accounts.
- The first post of the manipulated image has drawn 455 likes, 175 comments, and 251 shares as of writing.
- While some of the posts have been taken down from the platform, the image continues to be amplified across other social media platforms including Tiktok and X.
- Rob Rances, a known Duterte supporter with a large Facebook following, reuploaded the screenshot, amassing 16,800 likes, 2,400 comments, and 4,600 shares as of this writing.
Spot the fake: To evaluate whether a photo was AI-generated or manipulated, look closely for visual inconsistencies. AI detection tools are also available online, but do not rely on a single tool and always crosscheck with others.
- There’s a growing difficulty in tracing false narratives being amplified across social media. A single fabricated post may be removed, but it can be saved and reuploaded on other pages or platforms. Savannah Lantay
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