FACT-CHECK: Robredo, Marcos, Moreno did not announce alliance for 2028 elections

CLAIM: An AI-manipulated video of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Naga Mayor Leni Robredo, and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno declaring a new alliance for the 2028 national elections.

RATING: FALSE

An AI-generated video falsely showing that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., former Vice President Leni Robredo, and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso announcing a supposed alliance for the national elections in 2028 is making the rounds on Facebook.

Flagged content: On Feb. 24, the Facebook page “Pinoy kami blog” uploaded a 12-second video showing the three political figures with overlay text that read “Robredo Marcos sa 2028” (Robredo Marcos for 2028).

• The video started with Robredo saying, “Robredo para sa ‘28” (Robredo for ‘28), followed by Domagoso agreeing, “Tama. Maganda ang samahan na ito. Sama-sama tayong magtatagumpay!” (That’s right. This is a good partnership. Together we will succeed!).
• It ended with all three raising their right hand while saying, “Mabuhay, Angat Bagong Pilipinas!” (Long live, Angat Bagong Pilipinas!).

Our debunk: PressOne.PH subjected the video to AI detection and found strong evidence of manipulation.

• Undetectable.AI found an 85% likelihood that the video was manipulated.
• Likewise, Hive Moderation concluded that the video was “likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content,” giving it a 99.8% likelihood rating of AI-generated speech.
• The video displays several technical inconsistencies, including lip movements that either mismatch or lag the audio, frames in which the mouth appears detached or misaligned from the face, and a segment from 00:02 to 00:05 where Marcos Jr.’s mouth moves without any audible speech.
• The picture used in the manipulated video came from a Feb. 23 Facebook post of the People’s Television Network (PTV), where the three attended the launching of “Sa Bagong Pilipinas, Bawat Bayan Makikinabang” at Malacañan Palace.
• Neither Marcos nor Robredo has announced that they will be forming a new alliance for the 2028 national elections.

Rewind: Three days before the video was uploaded, Vice President Sara Duterte announced plans to run for president in 2028.

• Since then, speculation has been growing on who might be running as her vice president and who would be gunning against her.
• PressOne.PH has fact-checked multiple claims related to Duterte’s candidacy in the wake of her announcement, including her supposed naming of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta as her running mate and a satirical piece saying that some NBA athletes supported her candidacy. 

Why we fact-checked this: As of writing, the video has gained 369,000 views, 10,000 reactions, and 1,400 comments. It has also been shared 841 times

• Pinoy kami blog, the uploader of the video, has 108,000 followers. 

Spot the fake: Look for unnatural body movements in videos, as they’re often signs of AI manipulation.

• Furthermore, videos can be run through free AI-detection tools to determine their likelihood of being AI-manipulated.
• News on the upcoming national elections is likely to be covered by news outlets. Verify information by checking reports from reputable media organizations. Vanya Danyella Barachita

PressOne.PH is a verified signatory of the Code of Principles of the International Fact -Checking Network (IFCN) at Poynter. The code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network is a series of commitments organizations abide by to promote excellence in fact-checking. We believe nonpartisan and transparent fact-checking can be a powerful instrument of accountability journalism..

PressOne.PH believes that fact-checking is essential to combating misinformation and disinformation, and in informing and educating citizens and voters. Read more of PressOne.PH’s Fact-Checking Policy by clicking here.

The public is welcome to send feedback or requests for fact-checks at factcheck@pressone.ph.

If you believe PressOne.PH is violating the Code of Principles of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), you may submit a complaint directly to the IFCN website: https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/complaints-policy