Malacañang revealed that the government has formed a National Deepfake Task Force and a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered detection tool to combat disinformation and election fraud ahead of the 2025 polls.

In a press briefing in the Palace on Thursday, March 20, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) Undersecretary Alex Ramos said the effort is part of a multisectoral campaign to empower the public against the rising threat of deepfakes.

The initiative is led by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) in partnership with the CICC, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) among others.

In line with this, Ramos announced that a new AI-powered tool will be distributed to accredited institutions to help verify deepfake content within 30 seconds. This includes election watchdogs such as the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and Namfrel (National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections); universities; and fact-checking groups.

The software, however, is not yet available to the general public, as officials are still reviewing its security and accreditation process.

"It is a tool that is—naka-install siya sa laptops, sa computer ‘no. So, when there is a community gathering at may nai-report na mukhang kaduda-duda ang content, ito ho ay kanilang isasalang sa tool na ito ‘no (The tool is installed on laptops and computers. In community gatherings if suspicious content is reported, it can be analyzed using the tool)– within 30 seconds, it will be determined if it’s a deepfake," he said.

The government acquired the AI tool from Singapore-based company Ensign after evaluating four AI-driven solutions. The country has so far purchased 500 licenses for P2 million.

"We currently have 500 licenses, and we want to increase it so that there will be more communities that can avail of this," Ramos said.

"Right now, we have a budget of P2 million for this, and we wish to increase this further. Affordable pa (It's affordable), that’s another," he added.

Nonpartisan

Ramos assured the public that the tool would be used for nonpartisan fact-checking, not government control over information.

"We give it out to the community and let them have an independent fact-checking on this. This is not the government dictating to them what will be the results," he said.

He added that decentralizing the detection process will prevent deepfakes from spreading before they cause widespread misinformation.

"Bago lumaki ang apoy, bago ma-absorb ng ibang tao, maagap pa puwede nang makita kung deepfake o hindi (Before the fire spreads, before others believe it, it can quickly be detected as a deepfake)," Ramos said.

Hotline

In line with this, the PCO and the CICC have launched Hotline 1326 as the country's official anti-scam reporting channel.

They have also launched a partnership with Scam Watch Pilipinas to strengthen media literacy campaigns.

Victims of scams and fake content can also report incidents via the eGov app’s e-report function, which allows users to submit suspicious links for investigation.

According to Ramos, the CICC has received at least 200 reports of deepfake scams and misleading content. Many of these links disappear quickly after being flagged by social media platforms, making rapid detection crucial.