The National Bureau of Investigation NBI) has been ordered to probe the deepfake audio of President Marcos supposedly directing the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to take action against a foreign country, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Thursday, April 25.
In a statement, the DOJ said that Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla himself gave the directive to the NBI to conduct the investigation.
"Hold accountable the personalities behind this deceiving act, make the investigation swift and comprehensive to ascertain the truth," Remulla instructed the NBI.
“I am instructing you to file the necessary legal action, if warranted, against those behind this fake news,” he said.
The DOJ said the NBI investigation stemmed from the report of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) about a "deepfake audio" of Marcos that was uploaded in a popular streaming platform and got shared to various social media platforms.
It said the supposed audio of the President was maliciously manipulated and edited using artificial intelligence (AI).