DND: Video from US rally ‘crude destabilization attempt’ vs. PBBM

By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan, Priam Nepomuceno, Philippine News Agency

The DND was referring to a video at a gathering, which purportedly showed the Chief Executive using illegal drugs. (Pixabay photo)

MANILA – The Department of National Defense (DND) on Monday called a video from a gathering of a group linked to former president Rodrigo Duterte in the United States as “malicious.”

“The obviously fake video being circulated emanating from a MAISUG gathering in Los Angeles is again a maliciously crude attempt to destabilize the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. They will not succeed!” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in a statement.

The DND was referring to a video at a gathering, which purportedly showed the Chief Executive using illegal drugs.

Andolong said the release of the contrived video in the US is a “cowardly attempt to escape Philippine criminal jurisdiction.”

He also urged US authorities to investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of this act.

In a video statement, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the video is “obviously manipulated.”

“Kitang kita po sa video na hindi po yan ang ating Pangulo. Peke ang ginawa nilang video at obvious na ito ay gawa-gawaan lang (It is obvious that the person in the video is not the President. The video they made is fake and it is obvious that it was made up),” he said.

Teodoro added that this act was part of an organized scheme to destablize the Marcos administration.

“Nag umpisa po ito sa mga fake na mga news tungkol po sa Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at DND. Tapos nagprogseso po ito sa diumano’y walkout na hindi naman po nangyari. Pagkatapos ngayon na curiously, araw ng SONA (State of the Nation Address), naglabas sila ng pekeng video at sa Amerika pa (It began with the fake news on the AFP and DND. Then it progressed to the alleged walkout, which did not even happen. Now, curiously, on the day of the SONA, they released a fake video in the US),” he added.

Teodoro, meanwhile, said the DND would continue to rally behind the Marcos administration and follow the chain of command.

“Itong mga isip-batang attempt na mapahina ang ating Saligang Batas at mga institusyon ay mariin po naming tututulan at lalabanan. Kami po ay makikipag-ugnayan sa lahat ng ahensya ng gobyerno upang masugpo itong mga nasa likod nitong mga di kanais-nais at karumal-dumal na plot na ito (We will resist and fight these childish attempts to weaken the Constitution and our institutions. We will coordinate with all government agencies to suppress those behind this unpleasant and horrible plot),” he added.

DILG orders probe

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., meanwhile, directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to form a task force to investigate the video.

In a press conference in Camp Crame, Quezon City, Abalos said he was convinced that the man in the video was not Marcos, noting that this type of content could be easily manipulated through artificial intelligence.

“Sa pagtingin namin sa video, hindi ako naniniwala na ang lalaking nandun ay ang ating Pangulo, sa tagal na kilala ko ang ating Pangulo ang mga features niya hindi siya yun (When I saw the video, I do not believe that it was the President. I have known the President for a long time and based on his features, it is not him who is in the video,” he said, noting the “extreme difference” of the ears of the man in the video and that of Marcos.

He added that the President would not engage in this kind of activity.

He questioned the timing of the release of the video which was made hours before the President’s SONA.

Abalos said he has yet to talk to the President about the matter and that he called for the press conference to discuss it on his own will.

The video was reportedly played in an anti-Marcos government rally abroad and has since made rounds on social media.

He assured that those behind the proliferation of the video will be held liable under the Anti-Cybercrime Law.

Abalos urged the public to be vigilant and not easily believe the things they see online especially if they came from an unverified source.

Fabricated

The National Security Council also slammed the act and described it as a crude attempt which reveals the desperation and ulterior motives of those behind it.

In a statement, the NSC expressed concern over this “calculated attempt to tarnish the President’s reputation and create political instability”.

“We condemn any attempt to destabilize the administration and we will resist any and all efforts to weaken our duly-constituted democratic institutions,” it added.

Crossed the line

House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe also strongly condemned the people responsible for the fabrication and dissemination of the AI-generated video.

“The fabricated video, which falsely depicts the President using illegal substances, is not just an attack on his person but an affront to the entire nation,” Dalipe said in a statement.

“Sobrang foul na ito (This is severely foul). Whoever is behind this and whoever is financing this attempt to malign the President has crossed the line. This act is not just an attack against our President but a blatant attempt to destabilize our government and undermine the integrity of our democratic processes. It erodes public trust and poses a serious threat to our national unity,” he added.

The House Leader emphasized the need for swift and decisive action against those responsible for this attack, saying that such misuse of technology for political gain cannot be tolerated.

He called on all sectors of society to join in condemning these actions and to work together to uphold the sanctity of our democratic institutions. (Jose Cielito Reganit/PNA)