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With the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) finally over, Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte has called on the the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to work closely together in seeking out and taking down deepfakes online. 

These artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content are expected to proliferate in the upcoming campaign season for the 2025 mid-term elections to either praise or disparage certain candidates. 

But there's no stopping such content from surfacing online as early as now following the poll aspirants' filing of their COCs this past Oct. 1 to 8. 

“With all of the candidates aspiring for the 18,000 elective posts up for grabs in the mid-term balloting having declared their intent to run next year, the Comelec and the DICT, through its CICC (Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center), need to work closely together on a system for AI safety that can effectively monitor and take down deepfakes," said Villafuerte. 

Villafuerte, president of the National Unity Party (NUP), has been warning the public of the potential chaos that deepfake content could cause ahead of the elections. 

During the recent launch of Cyber Awareness Month in Quezon City, DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy told Filipinos to brace for a surge in AI-generated content in the coming election season. 

He said the agency has monitored the rise of AI content that were either misleading or made to spread misinformation and disinformation.