FACT CHECK: AI image falsely shows Army division backing

The 10th Infantry Division (10ID) of the Philippine Army has officially debunked a viral graphic that falsely depicted its personnel expressing support for Senator Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa. The division emphasized its commitment to political neutrality and warned the public against the misuse of artificial intelligence to spread disinformation.

What happened

A graphic featuring personnel allegedly from the 10ID holding a banner that read "We support Senator Bato dela Rosa" was circulated across multiple Facebook groups, including those with hundreds of thousands of members. The image first appeared in a Facebook group titled "1st Infantry Tabak Division Philippine Army" before being reposted by at least five other accounts.

Upon investigation, the 10ID issued a statement on October 30 clarifying that the image was AI-generated and did not represent the views or actions of its personnel. The division reiterated that it maintains strict political neutrality and that all official statements are released exclusively through authorized channels. Technical analysis supported these findings, with AI detection tools Sightengine and Hive Moderation flagging the image as 99% likely to be AI-generated. The incident occurred amidst heightened public interest regarding the senator, who is currently the subject of an International Criminal Court warrant and reports suggesting he is in hiding.