FACT CHECK: Video of Marcos and Romualdez laughing about ‘fooling’ the public is AI-generated
Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former House speaker Martin Romualdez were caught on video laughing together after “fooling” the public with Marcos’ statements against Romualdez during his State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: A Facebook reel posted by the page “Canadian Tambay” purports to show Marcos and Romualdez in a private moment, laughing together in what appears to be an office setting.
The reel bears the caption “The masterminds of corruption. The flood control corruption.”
In the clip, Romualdez appears to tell Marcos, “Nabudol mo na naman ang mga tao ha, na kunwari ipapakulong mo ko, ang galing mo talaga.”
(You fooled the people again, huh, pretending you’ll have me jailed, you’re really good.)
The two are then shown bursting into laughter.
As of writing, the post has garnered over 1,900 reactions, 330 comments, and more than 1,000 shares. The post drew several comments criticizing the two officials.
The facts: The exchange between Marcos and Romualdez did not occur. No official Palace recording, press release, or credible news outlet has reported or documented such a moment, as the video is AI-generated.
AI detection tool DetectVideo AI assessed the clip as having an 80% likelihood of being AI-generated, with only a 7% probability the footage is authentic and 13% probability it’s manipulated rather than fully generated, rating its evidence confidence “High.”
A separate analysis using Sightengine returned an even higher 98% likelihood of the clip being AI-generated, with 0% detected face manipulation — suggesting the footage may be wholly synthetic rather than doctored real footage.
The Facebook post also contains no label or disclaimer indicating that the clip was created or altered using AI.
The fake exchange was referring to Marcos’s SONA remarks on July 27, where he stated that the Ombudsman is expected to file plunder and graft cases against Romualdez, his cousin, over alleged P56 billion in unexplained wealth tied to the flood control scandal.
“Masakit man sa akin ito, ngunit kailangan nating gawin ang tama. Hindi ako pangulo ng aking pamilya. Hindi ako pangulo ng aking kaibigan. Ako ay Pangulo ng Pilipinas, at ang tungkulin ko ay sa inyo: ang aking mga kapwa Pilipino,” Marcos said.
(Painful as this is for me, we have to do what is right. I am not the president of my family. I am not the president of my friends. I am the President of the Philippines, and my duty is to you, my fellow Filipinos.)
Blindsided: The two cousins, once considered close political allies, have grown increasingly estranged amid corruption scandals in the government. (READ: Biggest loser of SONA 2026: Martin Romualdez)
Romualdez has categorically denied all allegations of being one of the “masterminds” behind the flood control corruption. He released a statement in response to Marcos’ SONA remarks, saying that while this was hurtful for their family, he respects the decision of the president and reiterated that he was ready to prove his innocence.
“Ang tama ay ang sumunod sa proseso at hayaan ang ebidensya ang magsalita. Naninindigan akong wala akong ginawang anumang labag sa batas, at handa akong patunayan ito,” he said.
(The right thing to do is to follow due process and let the evidence speak for itself. I stand firm that I have not done anything against the law, and I am ready to prove this.) – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com
Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated with a degree in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024.
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