A senior agent of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) told senators that videos of Vice President Sara Duterte presented during an impeachment trial are not generated by artificial intelligence (AI), citing their length and their own assessment.
NBI Senior Agent John Mark Calilung made the statement during Senate proceedings on Wednesday when asked by Sen. Raffy Tulfo about the authenticity of the footage shown on July 7.
One of the videos played on the second day of the impeachment trial was a two-minute clip showing Duterte threatening President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, Liza Marcos, and his cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
“There were concerns … whether the videos presented yesterday are AI-generated or authentic,” Tulfo said during the hearing, asking the witness if he had sufficient expertise to determine the difference.
“Yes, Your Honor,” Calilung replied.
Pressed on his basis, Calilung said the video in question runs for about two hours, which he described as inconsistent with typical AI-generated clips.
“Based on my experience, Your Honor, and the video itself, it’s two hours long. Normally, an AI-generated video will only last a short second,” he said.
Calilung added that his assessment was based on personal observation and that the footage presented in the hearing appears to be the same material circulating on Facebook.
The NBI agent also testified that, based on the bureau’s investigation, the Office of the Vice President organized an online press conference on Nov. 23, 2024, where the video originated. He said media participants interviewed by the NBI identified the office as the organizer.
Asked whether the event was spontaneous, Calilung said he could not independently confirm but was relaying statements from interviewed media personnel.
During questioning, Tulfo raised concerns about possible incitement to sedition and grave threats linked to statements in the video.
Calilung cited portions in which Duterte allegedly referenced “people power” and responded to a question by saying, “Ang laban ay wala sa EDSA, nasa Malacañang.”
He noted that while such remarks appeared in the footage, there was no documented confirmation that online commenters explicitly agreed with them.
