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MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police – Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG) has launched an investigation to determine the identities of the persons responsible for the viral “deepfake” video.
The material shows clips of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. supposedly commanding the Armed Forces of the Philippines to act against a foreign country.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said PNP ACG coordinated with the Department of Information and Communications Technology on the matter.
“This will require technical expertise since we are going to find the source of origin and the one who uploaded the video,” Fajado said in a press briefing.
“It is challenging because we are dealing with a faceless and nameless nemesis. We don’t know how many people we are looking for,” she noted.
She likewise appealed to anyone with vital information that will help them track the people behind the video to step forward and help them with the case.
Fajardo added a heavy penalty awaits those responsible for the misleading content since it affects the chief executive and the country’s national security.
The culprits may face charges for violating Article 154 or the Unlawful Use of Means of Publication and Unlawful Utterances of the Revised Penal Code in connection with Section 6 of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
In a separate statement, the ACG revealed it had already conducted a “cyber patrolling” on the “Dapat Balita” YouTube page, where Marcos’ videos were uploaded.
“Dapat Balita was deactivated, but another YouTube account with the same name reposted the videos. Additionally, a Facebook page named “Dapat Balita,” created on April 19, 2021, was found,” the ACG director Major General Sydney Hernia said.
“The page managers’ primary country or region location is the Philippines and Pakistan,” he pointed out.
“The page keeps posting fake articles, which has been noticed by commentators,” Hernia observed.
“PNP ACG requested the preservation of the Youtube channel’s data, deactivation of the Facebook Page, and continuous cyber patrolling operations,” he added.