A Facebook vlogger posted a clip showing former House speaker Martin Romualdez supposedly getting arrested. This video was altered using artificial intelligence.
On Oct. 18, the vlogger posted a 16-second video of Romualdez surrounded by people holding cameras and mobile phones when he was grabbed by a man in blue uniform. The video bore the text:
“Ngaun NAHULI narin rumualdez martin RUMUALDEZ (Martin Romualdez finally arrested now).”
The vlogger went on saying:
“Nahuli na, nahuli na. Talagang nahuli na talaga si Romualdez. So dapat masaya na tayo dahil nahuli na po ang buwaya ng Pilipinas si Romualdez
(He has been arrested, he has been arrested. Romualdez has really been arrested. So we should be happy because the crocodile of the Philippines has been arrested – Romualdez).”
This video is fake. Romualdez was not arrested by authorities. The video of him arriving at the Independent Commission for Infrastructure offices at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig was manipulated using AI to make it appear he was apprehended.
The Department of Justice has issued an immigration lookout bulletin order on Romualdez and other government officials tagged in the flood control controversy, at the request of the ICI. However, Romualdez was not arrested, as the post claimed.
While several investigations into the issue are ongoing, no criminal case has been filed against Romualdez.
The clip was an altered version of a video published by radio station XFM Cebu 88.3. It shows the former speaker arriving at the ICI offices on Oct. 14 to attend a hearing on the anomalous flood control projects.
The clip was manipulated using the AI-powered tool PixVerseAI to add a police officer supposedly arresting Romualdez. PixVerseAI’s logo can be seen at the upper right corner of the clip.
FB page Ganap Ph first uploaded the AI-manipulated video with a disclaimer that it was made using AI and that the post was “for entertainment only.” The FB vlogger did not disclose that it was AI-manipulated and made it appear the video was legitimate.
The AI-manipulated clip circulated the same day Romualdez requested the ICI to defer his second appearance set on Oct. 22, citing a scheduled medical procedure he would be undergoing.
Sen. Chiz Escudero earlier tagged Romualdez as the “real mastermind” behind the anomalous flood control projects, after retired sergeant Orly Guteza testified that he delivered luggages containing P1.7 billion cash to Romualdez’s Makati residence. On Oct. 14, the former House speaker attended his first ICI hearing and released a statement denying the accusations.
VERA Files has debunked other disinformation related to Romualdez and the flood control issue.
The video uploaded by the FB page Amer TV Vlogger (created on Dec. 24, 2019 as Bloger learning) garnered 9,600 reactions, 1,800 comments, 2,100 shares and 620,000 views as of writing.
