A video claiming to show Catholic priest Fr. Jowel Jomarsus Gatus revealing a cure for eye disorders is circulating online. This is fake. The clips were manipulated using artificial intelligence.
On August 9, a Facebook page posted a 10-minute clip supposedly from GMA News’ 24 Oras Weekend in which broadcaster Ivan Mayrina is reporting on the priest’s alleged revelation. The first two and a half minutes of the video contain actual clips with the rest flashing a static image of what looks like a stack of white candies.
At the beginning of the video, Mayrina says:
“Ang minamahal nating pari ay inatake mismo sa loob ng kanyang simbahan at lahat dahil lamang sa walang bayad niyang pagbabahagi sa WhatsaApp ng reseta para sa lumalalang paningin
(Our beloved priest was attacked right inside his own church, all because he shared a remedy for deteriorating eyesight on WhatsApp for free).”
This was followed by a clip of Gatus speaking at a church about a miracle drug. On the 27-second mark, he can be heard saying:
“Nais kong bigyang babala ang lahat ng nanonood ng live na broadcast na ito o ng recording nito sa ngayon. Wala akong balak na mag-anunsyo o magbenta ng anuman sa inyo. Nagdaos lamang ako ng misa kung saan ipinakita ko kung paano nakakatulong ang inuming ito sa mga matatanda na maalis ang panlalabo ng mata, mawala ang pagod ng mata at maibalik ang talas ng paningin sa loob lamang ng dalawamput isang araw
(I would like to issue a warning to everyone watching this live broadcast or its recording. I have no intention of announcing or selling anything to you. I simply celebrated a Mass where I demonstrated how this drink helps the elderly eliminate blurred vision, relieve eye fatigue, and restore visual acuity in just twenty-one days).”
Netizens are then instructed to “click” on the video to get a prescription via WhatsApp.
This video is fake. It contains AI-manipulated videos of Mayrina and Fr. Gatus to promote a product.
A video from a 24 Oras Weekend newscast on August 2 was altered. In the original video, Mayrina is reporting on a different topic. A voice clone was edited and a photo of the priest was superimposed on the news report.
A clip from the priest‘s Sunday mass was also manipulated. Gatus posted a statement on FB disowning the circulating clip and clarifying that he was neither assaulted in his parish nor is he endorsing any medicine.
VERA Files reached out to the Deepfakes Analysis Unit of the India-based Trusted Information Alliance to further check if AI was used to modify the clips.
The DAU’s audio analysis showed that three detection tools – Hive AI audio classifier, Hiya and Aurigin AI — found the audio to be AI-generated. The unit also ran the video through the Hive AI deepfake detector and found several frames of the speakers bearing signs of AI tampering.
The DAU also noted jump cuts throughout the video, where the body language was interrupted, then unnaturally repeated after the cut. They also took note of “flash frame,” or a recurring image that is shown; for a split-second throughout the video.
“We consulted experts in the past about doctored videos that would have these random flashes of unrelated imagery and they explained that their inclusion in generated/manipulated videos could be to confuse deepfake detection algorithms that rely on temporal information,” the DAU explained.
The video circulated this month of August, which is Sight Saving Month in the Philippines.
VERA Files has debunked other fake ads that were falsely attributed to another Catholic priest.
The fake video uploaded by the FB page Medi Guru (created on July 21) garnered 13,000 reactions, 1,400 comments and 221,000 views as of writing.
