Creating and spreading the now deleted deep fake video of President Marcos was "done deliberately" to cause warmongering among citizens, a Palace official said, stressing that the government is considering legal actions against the perpetrators.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Assistant Secretary Patricia Kayle Martin said in a radio interview on Friday, April 26, that the government is considering legal action against those behind the manipulated video of Marcos seemingly asking the Armed Forces to act against another nation.
In a Bagong Pilipinas interview on the same day, Martin also said that Malacañang sees the action as a deliberate move to "sow discord" in the region.
"We're looking at it as a deliberate 'no—deliberate po talaga (it was really deliberate)—alam naman po natin lahat (we all know) that the President did not give any directive to the Armed Forces of the Philippines about taking a step against foreign countries," Martin said.
"Paulit-ulit naman po ang ating Presidente saying that we are for the peace in the Indo-Pacific Region. So, I think this is talagang deliberate yung talagang purpose ng actor nito, yung taong gumawa nito na mag-sow ng discord or mag war mongering sa ating mga citizens (The President has been constantly saying that we we are for the peace in the Indo-Pacific Region. So, I think this was really deliberate, the purpose of the actor, the creator, was to sow discord or cause warmongering among our citizens)," she added.
The PCO official said they have partnered with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and National Security Council (NSC) to investigate the issue.
Martin further said that the DICT suspects a foreign actor is behind the deep fake videos.
While the President wasn’t surprised by videos intended for fun, the recent posting is already a cause for concern because it could potentially harm relations and sow chaos, she noted.
"Per the DICT's investigation, they're not only looking at local hackers but also some foreign hackers as well because yun nga, hindi madali ang paggawa nitong mga deepfake videos, hindi lahat marunong (it is not easy to create these deepfake videos, not everyone knows how to), so they are also looking at foreign hackers as well," Martin said.
She also urged the people to stop spreading fake news, stressing it may lead to serious repercussions and endanger the country’s foreign relations and national security.
According to Martin, big social media platforms like Google, TikTok, and Meta—which is Facebook, Instagram and X, expressed willingness to help the government to fight online threats.