Forensic exam proves man sniffing drugs in viral video not Marcos

FOLLOWING the conduct of a forensic examination, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) both expressed confidence that the man sniffing powdery substance believed to be cocaine was not President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

In a press conference, PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group Director Brigadier General Ronnie Cariaga said a Deepware artificial intelligence (AI) detection tool with multiple algorithms revealed that the video was fake and was created using AI.

Cariaga said the investigation noted the discrepancies in the facial features of Marcos and the unidentified man on the video, particularly the size of the ear, shape of the eyes and nose, and sideburns.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago said the video was altered in order to make a misrepresentation of Marcos doing “unsavory things.”

He said they already have a list of individuals who will be subject of investigation over possible involvement in the proliferation of the “malicious” viral video, which not only intends to put Marcos in bad light but also to “belittle the minds of the Filipino people,” hoping they would believe in it.

“We have identified mga tao but we are still gathering enough evidence para ‘yung case na isasampa namin sa kanila ay talagang air tight. Hindi kami bigla-bigla na lang magpa-file ng kaso tapos later madi-dismiss lang naman, so tinitibayan namin lahat ng aming ebidensya. The PNP and the NBI are working together towards the resolution of this problem,” said Santiago.

Santigo said they conducted the investigation on their own will without any pressure from the Malacañang. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)