(Unsplash)

The House of Representatives may consider tagging deepfakes as a form of terrorism, says Lanao del Norte 1st district Rep. Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo.

Dimaporo made this pitch in a press briefing on Tuesday, April 30, following concerns raised over a manipulated video that seemingly shows President Marcos urging military action against China.

“If there is a need to amend our laws and declare this type of behavior as a form of terrorism then we will refer to our leader in Congress, House Speaker Martin Romualdez,” he said.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) clarified that there is no legitimacy to this deepfake. A “foreign actor” is likely to be behind the creation of such content.

“This just shows how desperate the opposition is against President Bongbong Marcos because he’s doing a spectacular job in managing our foreign policy to the point that they try to sabotage him,” said Dimaporo.

Assistant Majority Leader and Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong likewise agreed with Dimaporo’s sentiment. He says that the Filipino people are also at risk from these manipulated content.

“This not only sabotages the President, but disrespects each and every individual Filipino. Wala silang pakialam sa inyo, ang gusto lang nila is masabi kung ano yung naratiba nila na mali,” Adiong said.

(They don't care about you, they just want to spread their false narrative.)

“It counters transparency and accountability and your right to be well-informed with policies that affect your everyday life,” he added.

Fellow “Young Guns” member 1-RIDER Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez stressed the need for urgent counter-protective measures given the risk that China could one day take these deepfakes seriously.

“This is no longer just politics, this is already a national security concern,” the lawmaker pointed out.

For his part, Davao Oriental 2nd district Rep. Cheeno Miguel Almario said the national government should consider establishing proper modes of communication that directly instructs Filipinos on how to spot deepfakes.

“This is something that we have to actively keep Filipinos aware, in terms of, how do you determine what is true or false?” Almario said.

He is hoping that cybersecurity efforts in the country will “amp up even further” in the upcoming deliberations for next year’s national budget.