NAGA CITY — It wasn’t me, and I have P7 million for anyone who can point to the persons responsible for a clever technical fabrication of my voice.
That was essentially what Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte said on Friday as he denied that he was the man recorded in an audio tape ordering someone in Filipino to put up a campaign to portray Vice President Leni Robredo and supporters of her presidential candidacy in the province as “scammers.”
In a Facebook post, Villafuerte described the audio shared on social media platforms as a “deep fake recording,” claiming it was made through an audio recording software that mimicked his voice. He included a link to a YouTube site which shows how this could be done.
Villafuerte accused his political rivals as the “masterminds” behind the audio recording.
The lawmaker said he was offering a total of P7 million and protection to those who could trace the source of the recording.
The recorded telephone conversation, which was 114 seconds long, was between a man who sounded like Villafuerte and a woman.
Instructions
The man instructed the woman to launch a demolition campaign against Robredo, Camarines Sur gubernatorial candidate Rolando Andaya Jr., Iriga City Mayor Madelaine Alfelor and reelectionist Camarines Sur Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr.
The conversation was at some point interrupted by bad signal. The man also sounded agitated and impatient.
Villafuerte, who is seeking reelection for the second district congressional seat, said the local radio program Ratsada Rinconada and the people connected to it, including Jeric Joy Añonuevo, was spreading the recording.
“I am offering P2 million to those who can give evidence and pinpoint the person behind Ratsada Rinconada and other fake news accounts. Aside from the cash reward, there will be 100-percent protection and many more,” he said.
“Also, I have an offer of P5 million to those who can tell the source of the deep fake recording against me,” Villafuerte said.
Political nemesis
While Villafuerte has not publicly endorsed a presidential candidate, he is a known political opponent of Robredo, Andaya, Alfelor and Bordado.
Andaya, who is challenging Luigi Villafuerte, the son of the lawmaker and younger brother of outgoing Gov. Luis Miguel “Migz” Villafuerte, is backed by Robredo in the May elections.
Andaya could not be reached for comment.
Robredo has long been a political nemesis of the Villafuertes in Camarines Sur starting in 2013 when she pulled a major upset and dealt a blow to the formidable Villafuerte political clan by defeating Villafuerte’s mother, Nelly, in the election for the third district congressional seat.
Robredo declined to comment on the audio recording, but said she was confident such propaganda against her would flop.
“I don’t know if it is true that’s why I refuse to comment,” Robredo told reporters after a forum with students and teachers at the University of Pangasinan in Dagupan City on Friday.
‘It won’t prosper’
“But the people in our province know me,” she said. “Whatever they do to malign me, the people know who I am. It will not prosper.”
Alfelor merely shrugged off the alleged Villafuerte plan against her, saying she had nothing to fear because “the truth shall prevail.” Añonuevo asserted that he was not a purveyor of fake news.
“He (Villafuerte) said that he does not have any evidence pointing to us (as the persons) behind his allegations, but he is willing to offer P2 million?” he said.
Añonuevo also doubted the audio was fake, noting that it would be hard to replicate Villafuerte’s voice, especially if there were no available prerecorded audio material.
Several people who commented on Twitter said the artificial intelligence technology available would still be unable to generate the tone and emotion expressed by the voice that was recorded, much less in the Filipino language. Others say they recognized the lawmaker’s voice and it was how he spoke. —WITH A REPORT FROM MARLON RAMOS INQ
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