FACT CHECK: Clips of Sara, Baste Duterte on impeachment trial dismissal are AI-generated

The Senate impeachment court has not dismissed the case against Vice President Sara Duterte and will resume the trial on November 9 AI-generated video clips appear to show Vice President Sara Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte claiming that the Vice President's impeachment case has been junked. The impeachment case remains pending, and the trial will resume on November 9. This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors. Claim: Vice President Sara Duterte and her brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, said the Senate threw out the impeachment case against the Vice President and that the trial wasted public funds. Rating: FALSE Why we fact-checked this: Two Facebook reels posted by the page “Duterte Supporters” on October 15 carry the claim. Both are staged to look like media interviews outside Malacañang Palace, with reporters and microphones from several networks. The first video shows Sara in a black polo with a reporter asking, “Vice, ano ang masasabi mo? Binasura ng Senado ang impeachment laban sa ‘yo.” (Vice, what can you say? The Senate junked the impeachment case against you.) She answers: “Isa lang ang masasabi ko. Nagsayang kayo ng milyon na pera para sa pansarili ‘nyong interes.” (I only have one thing to say. You wasted millions of pesos for your own interests.) Meanwhile, the second post shows Baste in a black suit, saying: “Walang napala ang impeachment ‘nyo. Inurong na lahat kasi wala kayong ebidensiya laban sa kapatid ko. Sobrang laki ng budget ang nawala sa trial na ‘yan. Sinayang ‘nyo, mga buwaya.” (The impeachment trial yielded nothing. Everything was withdrawn because you have no evidence against my sister. A huge chunk of the budget was spent on that trial. You wasted it, you crocodiles.) Some commenters took the videos at face value and agreed with the statements, with some replying, “True.” Together, the two reels have drawn about 7,700 views, 230 reactions, 30 comments, and 47 shares as of writing. The facts: Neither of the two made these statements. No news report, government livestream, or official press release records either of them saying these lines. The videos are AI-generated and carry no label disclosing this. AI detection tools flagged the videos as AI-generated. Sightengine provided a 99% likelihood rating, while Hive Moderation returned scores ranging from 99.1% to 99.6%. Impeachment trial: On October 13, Day 39 of the impeachment trial, prosecutors withdrew three of the four articles — misuse of confidential funds, bribery, and grave threats. The defense team objected while the Senate impeachment court approved the withdrawal. The trial continues on Article II, which accuses the Vice President of amassing wealth disproportionate to her lawful income, failing to disclose assets in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, and holding prohibited business interests. (READ: Dropping 3 impeachment articles vs Sara, who benefits?) The trial is scheduled to resume on November 9, with the defense’s turn to present its evidence. Presiding officer Senator Francis Escudero said on October 25 that the trial could be finished before year-end. Two-thirds of senator-judges who are “legally and factually capable” of participating in the proceedings at the time of the vote would be required for a conviction. Trial expenses: On October 14, the Vice President’s spokesperson Paolo Panelo claimed that 20 trial days spent on two dropped articles cost about P500 million, or P25 million a day, with total expenses exceeding P1 billion. Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian debunked the alleged P25-million daily cost as “completely untrue,” saying it represents the cost of running the entire Senate, regardless of the trial. According to Gatchalian, impeachment-related expenses only cost P14.55 million over 44 trial days, or about P330,763 per day. These covered meals, supplies, overtime pay, and an outside venue for budget hearings. – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar, who graduated with a degree in English Language Studies from the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship for 2024. Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time. How does this make you feel? Loading