[Rappler Investigates] Beware of the ghost month (2024)

'It’s August, the ghost month for those who believe in it,' but even before it came, 'just hours before the third State of the Nation Address by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 22, a malevolent act had already victimized him'

It’s August, the ghost month for those who believe in it. It’s when spirits, who supposedly roam freely on Earth, can wreak havoc on reckless mortals. It’s common for rituals to be performed in various Asian countries to show respect for ancestors gone. Some anticipate a drop in business earnings or even a poorer performance of the stock market. There’s also less spending, less travel, and less carousing at night. By end of the month, the spirits should be back to where they came from and life returns to normal.

Even before the ghost month came, however, just hours before the third State of the Nation Address by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 22, a malevolent act had already victimized him. Capitalizing on rumors perpetrated no less by former president Rodrigo Duterte, a grainy video of a man who bore a striking similarity to Marcos showed him ingesting something in his mouth before inhaling deeply — insinuating that he was into drugs. It would have been a shocking revelation, catching the President on video doing “drugs,” except that it wasn’t really him but a deepfake.

Of course, the less informed and less discriminating would have believed that it was Marcos. But Rappler’s lead researcher on disinformation Gemma B. Mendoza reported that what has since been referred to as the “polvoron video” had undergone “multiple layers of transformation and manipulation” using artificial intelligence-powered video creation tools. Fortunately, technology has also developed AI detection tools even as it has allowed the creation and proliferation of such fakeries.

The National Bureau of Investigation jumped in with its own forensic analysis, zeroing in on the ears of the man in the video. According to Dr. Joseph Reuel Cruz of the Medico-Legal Division, our ears are unique to each one of us. With the use of a video spectral comparator that compared images of Marcos’ ears to the ears of the deepfake, the NBI was able to spot substantial differences. The Philippine National Police also detected disparities between the eye shape, nose, and sideburns of Marcos and the deepfake’s. Read more in this investigative story: From disinformation beneficiary to target: Marcos battles deepfakes.

Is this a harbinger of things to come, especially as we approach midterm elections next year and presidential elections in 2028? Will the Marcos camp find itself fending off dirty tricks like deepfakes that can get increasingly sophisticated over time? Ironically, as Gemma correctly pointed out, Marcos was himself a beneficiary of disinformation in 2022. Critics would likely tell him: What comes around goes around.

Would that deepfake achieve its purpose of dragging Marcos down? An earlier survey conducted by Social Weather Stations covering the period June 23-July 1, 2024, showed a net satisfaction rating that was 7-percentage points higher compared to March, and reflected improved numbers even in Mindanao, his Achilles heel. Will those numbers change in the next survey?

FALSEHOODS. Speaking of falsehoods, even Olympic double-gold medalist Carlos Yulo was not spared from the wickedness on social media. By now, you’ve probably heard about the family drama (who among us haven’t had that, anyway) that must have somehow dampened the triumphant feeling brought by that historic twin victory in Paris. Why, there are even fake derogatory posts circulating on X (formerly Twitter) supposedly by Yulo’s mother, the Olympian himself, and his girlfriend Chloe San Jose.

Other falsehoods and half-truths continue to ride on the conflict. Yes, there’s obviously been some tension between Yulo and his mother over finances. But, no, he wasn’t an ingrate for parting with his long-time Japanese coach. It was a good and respectful separation that saw even Coach Munehiro Kugimiya watching Yulo proudly from the sidelines. Unfortunately, there was no opportunity for both of them to speak to each other in person during the Olympic games.

No, love for his girlfriend wasn’t a harmful distraction for Yulo, nor the cause of his previous losses. His double victories are sufficient proof of that. And, yes, he’s ready for whatever the world hurls his way.

Read more of the unique stories about Yulo that we compiled here: Carlos Yulo and the road to double Olympic gold.

GEARING UP FOR MIDTERMS. By October this year, candidates in the May 2025 midterm elections will be filing their certificates of candidacy. There’s been a lot of speculation over who’s running and who isn’t. We also know that there are five senators expected to end their terms next year after serving two consecutive terms, or a total of 12 years: Cynthia Villar, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, Koko Pimentel, and Sonny Angara, who has been appointed education secretary.

Interestingly, none of these five senators nor any of their colleagues has released his or her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN). Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees requires them to submit this document because the public, according to the law itself, has the “right to know, their assets, liabilities, net worth and financial and business interests.”

Until they actually release to the public these required documents, we can never tell for sure whether they have complied with the law. We have put up a tracker of our Senate requests that have either only been acknowledged or referred to another government agency. No releases so far.

Here’s a list of possible and probable senatorial aspirants based on previous and recent pronouncements. It would be good to monitor whether any of them have disclosed, or will be disclosing, their SALNs. Here are the rest of our trackers involving other government officials, including:

• Marcos, Vice President Sara Duterte, and the Cabinet
• House of Representatives
• Metro Manila mayors

Not a single official has released his or her SALN to date. If this were a measure or indicator of transparency in government, then transparency is tragically non-existent.

Help us continue doing our job well by supporting independent and quality journalism. Till Thursday after next! – Rappler.com

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