Netizens are circulating a photo showing Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio of the Office of the Vice President supposedly wearing a hearing aid while testifying in the impeachment trial. The photo was manipulated using artificial intelligence.
Photos taken by VERA Files photojournalist Bullit Marquez show that Ortonio was wearing a tiny ear piercing, not an earpiece, on Aug. 25 and 26, when he took the witness stand on days 18 and 19 of the trial.
On Aug. 27, several Facebook users shared a photo of Ortonio, a hostile witness in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, purportedly wearing a communication device on his ear.
One of the posts carried the caption:
“SNAPSHOT: BAKIT DAW MAG WIRELESS EARPIECE ANG HOSTILE WITNESS NA SI LEMUEL ORTONIO? Napansin Ito ng ilang netizen na may suot na wireless o Bluetooth earpiece ang OVP staff ni Pyona habang nakasalang sa witness stand
(Why was hostile witness Lemuel Ortonio wearing a wireless earpiece? Some netizens noticed that the OVP staff member was wearing a wireless or Bluetooth-powered earpiece while on the witness stand).”
In the comments section, some netizens suggested that Ortonio was being coached for his answers to the prosecutor’s questions.
The photo was altered. Clearer photos show Ortonio donning a tiny piercing located on the forward helix of his ear.
Photos taken by VERA Files photojournalist Bullit Marquez on Aug. 25 and 26 show that Ortonio was wearing an ear piercing, not an ear piece with a black cord that extends towards the middle ear.
The circulating photo was manipulated using AI.
On Aug. 26, a FB page posted the enhanced photo along with a disclaimer that it was altered using AI (See archived post here). This was a response to another FB post asking what was seen on Ortonio’s ears from the screenshots of the Senate livestream (See archived post here).
VERA Files ran the image through the AI-detection tool Hive Moderation. Results showed a 99.9% likelihood of AI use, further noting that MetaAI must have been used to alter the photo.
Some netizens have circulated the photo without an AI disclaimer, alleging that Ortonio was wearing a hearing device to get instructions during witness examinations.
During the Sept. 1 impeachment trial, presiding officer Chiz Escudero also addressed the circulating photo and said it was generated using artificial intelligence.
The AI-manipulated photo without proper labels circulated a day after Day 19 of the impeachment trial, which focused on Duterte’s alleged misuse and misappropriation of confidential funds.
VERA Files has debunked other disinformation related to the Impeachment trial.
Five posts without proper label by FB users and pages such as Showbiz Chika-Dora (created on July 17, 2015 as Showbiz Chika-Dora Network) and The Daily Netizen (May 28, 2023) collectively garnered 1,000 engagements. The post by The Daily Netizen has been taken down as of Sept. 1.
