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AI-generated images posted without context on Facebook have falsely implied that  Pasig mayoral candidate Sarah Discaya was proposing highly futuristic city projects, including a “New Pasig River” and “New Pasig Mega Market.”

Discaya, owner and general manager of the St. Gerard Construction Development Corp., is challenging incumbent Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto in a heated mayoral race.

On April 28 and 30, the satirical Facebook page Palengke uploaded the altered photos without any captions or disclaimers. 

One image featured an ultra-modern Pasig River lined with skyscrapers and lush promenades, while the other showed a sci-fi cityscape with flying cars labeled as Discaya’s proposed “mega market.” 

AI detection tool Slightengine said the Pasig River image was 99% likely AI-generated while Decopy AI gave it a 96.97% probability.

While the Palengke page describes itself as a “satire” account in its bio, its posts do not contain indicators or labels clarifying the images’ satirical nature. Without this, some viewers might be misled, especially those unaware of the page’s satirical nature.

As of writing, the “mega market” post garnered 8,600 reactions, 320 comments and 3,700 shares, while the Pasig River image has 3,400 reactions, 100 comments and 1,300 shares.

Read the full story on FactRakers.org.

FactRakers is a Philippines-based fact-checking initiative of journalism majors at the University of the Philippines-Diliman working under the supervision of Associate Professor Yvonne T. Chua of the University of the Philippines’ Journalism Department. Associate Professor Ma. Diosa Labiste, also of the Journalism Department, serves as editorial consultant.

FactRakers' fact-checks also include those produced by Tinig ng Plaridel — the official student publication of the UP College of Media and Communication — and the UP Journalism Club.

The name of the initiative, coined from the words “fact” and “raker,” is inspired by the term “muckrakers,” first used in the early 1900s by American president Theodore Roosevelt to express his annoyance at progressive, reform-minded journalists at the time.

factrakers.org