A video of Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez (4th District) supposedly saying he is seeking reelection only to enrich himself is fake. This is manipulated through artificial intelligence (AI).
On May 7, a Facebook (FB) user posted a 31-second video of the actor-turned-politician supposedly admitting that he is only running for the post for money and his family’s advantage. He also allegedly called the people of Leyte “money-hungry.”
In the clip, Gomez can be heard saying in mixed Cebuano and Filipino:
“Ako si Richard Gomez, magpasubli isip Congressman karong eleksyon. Nidagan ko para lang sa Ormoc hasta sa Kananga. Pasagdi lang na ubang lungsod wala ko’y labot ana nila. Nidagan ko pagka-Congressman dili para mag-serbisyo apan para magpadato arun mu asenso akong pamilya. Dili ko taga-Leyte pero mananalo pa rin ako bilang congressman. Pera-pera lang ‘yan. Mga mukhang pera ang mga taga-Leyte. ‘Pag mananalo ulit ako bilang congressman, sisiguraduhin ko lahat ng lupa sa Ormoc mata-transfer sa pangalan ko.
(I am Richard Gomez, thinking again [to be a] congressman this election. I am running only from Ormoc to Kananga. Leave the other cities behind, I do not care about them. I ran for congressman not to serve, but to get rich [and] so that my family can prosper. I am not from Leyte but I will still win as congressman. It’s all just money. The people of Leyte are money-hungry. If I win again as congressman, I will make sure that all lands in Ormoc will be transferred under my name).”
Several netizens criticized Gomez for the supposed statement.
The video is AI-manipulated. Gomez did not make such a remark. Voice cloning was used to imitate the congressman’s voice to make it appear that he made the statement.
The Ormoc Development Team FB page uploaded the original video on April 19, which was actually in support of Gomez and showed his projects and initiatives. The Ormoc City Government’s official FB page also shared the video.
Gomez’s mouth movements do not match what he is supposedly saying in the fake video. This is one of the tell-tale signs that the content is AI-manipulated.
The altered video was posted a day after Gomez’s’ wife, Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez, filed a disqualification case against Albuera, Leyte mayoral candidate Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa for allegedly challenging her husband to a gun fight during an FB livestream.
VERA Files has debunked other election-related mis-/disinformation as the country heads to polling centers on May 12.
The AI-manipulated video posted by an FB user garnered 2,600 reactions, 3,100 comments, 3,000 shares and 590,000 views as of writing.
