The video of former Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co, in which he accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of directing P100-billion budget insertions, showed no indicators of AI manipulation, according to a review by the DAILY TRIBUNE tech team.

Speculation that the video may have been AI-generated began circulating shortly after its release, partly triggered by the drastic change in Co’s appearance and by early comments from political figures who suggested the public should scrutinize the clip.

The analysis found that the facial features and movements of the speaker remained consistent throughout, and the lighting and shadows behaved naturally from frame to frame, indicating that the footage was captured in real time.

Audio and video synchronization were stable, and no distortions typical of deepfake production were present.

Frame skipped

Investigators noted a single frame skip at the 2:03 mark, but the technical team concluded that this was a simple editing lapse and not evidence of manipulation.

According to the review, there was very little to no possibility that the video was AI-generated or AI-edited.

Co remains abroad and did not show up before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee which previously excused his absence on medical grounds.

The senators said the matter of his alleged involvement in anomalous flood control projects cannot be resolved through video statements and Co must face questioning directly.

Should he fail to attend the next hearing, he is expected to face a subpoena, a show-cause order, and possible contempt proceedings.

Malacañang has rejected Co’s accusations as “baseless.”