A video circulating online claims that consumers who will register in certain posts will be entitled to free electricity starting this month. This is fake and was made using artificial intelligence.
A Facebook (FB) page posted on Jan. 10 a 15-second video mimicking a news report format. Two separate FB pages reposted it the next day, using identical captions and within a short interval. In the clip, a man in a suit can be heard saying:
“Magandang balita. Approved na ang libreng singil sa kuryente simula ngayong January sa lahat ng magpapalista sa post namin. Uunahin naming isama ang mga magshe-share ng video na ito nang sampung beses at magpa-follow sa page namin. I-comment mo rin kung taga saan ka. Maraming salamat po”
(Good news. Free electricity charges have already been approved starting this January for everyone who signs up in our post. We will prioritize those who share this video 10 times and follow our page. Comment also where you are from. Thank you very much.)
Several users believed the post and shared their names and addresses in the comment section.
A closer look at the clip shows a logo of Gemini at the bottom right corner of the clip, indicating that it was made using Google’s artificial intelligence assistant tool. Hive moderation, an AI-detection platform, also flagged the video as 99.9% “likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content.”
The links in the caption, which should supposedly lead to a registration page and covered areas, direct users to a portable solar generator listed on an e-commerce site. This is a common tactic used to promote products and boost online engagement.
No ‘free electricity’ program
A quick keyword search on Google yielded no credible sources about a legitimate program offering free electricity bills.
The government, however, provides subsidized rates through the Lifeline Rate Program, which helps low-income consumers who struggle to pay full power bills. Under the current law, only 4Ps beneficiaries and households below the poverty threshold set by the Philippine Statistics Authority are eligible to apply.
Last Nov. 2025, the Department of Energy announced its plan to expand the program by adjusting the eligibility criteria and process to allow more poor households to qualify.
Published by FB pages Pinoy Newswire, Advisory Express PH, and Tagalog News Channel Updates, the three videos have collectively garnered 971,600 views, 1,702 reactions, 1,015 comments, and 2,338 shares.