Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep. Mannix Dalipe (Screenshot from Zoom)

House Majority Leader Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep. Mannix Dalipe has called the artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfake video of President Marcos as a malicious and desperate attempt to assail the leader.

“The fabricated video, which falsely depicts the President using illegal substances, is not just an attack on his person but an affront to the entire nation,” Dalipe said in a statement Monday afternoon, July 22.

The video reportedly made rounds online just hours before Marcos' scheduled third State of the Nation Address (SONA) that same day at Batasang Pambansa Complex

According to Dalipe, the fake video was shown during the so-called Maisug rally, which was organized by the Duterte family and their followers. It has sinced been disseminated through social media by pro-Duterte vloggers.

“The Dutertes have been going around the country organizing these Maisug rallies to call for President Marcos to resign so that Vice President Sara Duterte can take over,” Dalipe said.

“Sobrang foul na ito (This is so foul). Whoever is behind this and whoever is financing this attempt to malign the President have crossed the line. I call on the PNP (Philippine National Police) and the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) to get to the bottom of this evil deed and take immediate action,” said the majority leader.

“This act is not just an attack against our president but a blatant attempt to destabilize our government and undermine the integrity of our democratic processes. It erodes public trust and poses a serious threat to our national unity,” he added.

Dalipe highlighted the poor quality of the AI fabrication. He noted that the video was poorly edited and clearly identifiable as a fake.

“The shoddy editing and obvious signs of AI manipulation in the video only serve to further illustrate the desperation and malicious intent behind this attack,” he said.

The majority leader stressed the need for swift and decisive action against those responsible for this attack.

“The full extent of the law must be applied to those behind these unrelenting attempts to destabilize the government. Such misuse of technology for political gain cannot be tolerated."

Dalipe assured the public that thorough investigations are underway. “We will definitely get to the bottom of this and make sure that those who were behind this fake video are held accountable. The integrity of our democratic institutions and the trust of the Filipino people are at stake,” he declared.