FACT CHECK: Video on Sara Duterte as the ‘woman to beat in 2028’ is AI-generated

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

The video is among several AI-generated content that surfaced online in recent weeks amid Duterte's impending impeachment trial

Claim: A video features a woman saying the House of Representatives pushed for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment not because of any corruption allegations, but to foil her 2028 presidential ambitions.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The TikTok video containing the claim has 269,300 views, 20,900 likes, 1,439 shares, and 1,818 comments as of writing.

Text in the video states: “Ara guyyyyy, masakit nanaman sa tenga ng mga anti-Duterte. The woman to beat in 2028. Lagot kayo ngayon lahat.”

(Awww, the anti-Duterte ears must be ringing again. [She is] The woman to beat in 2028 — y’all better watch out.)

In the video, a woman is shown explaining that Duterte’s impeachment was politically motivated, as she is poised to be the “woman to beat” in the 2028 presidential elections. She further claims that the controversy surrounding the Vice President’s confidential funds was merely used as a pretext to push for Duterte’s impeachment, pointing out that many lawmakers also have access to such funds, yet were not subject to the same level of scrutiny as Duterte. 

The facts: The AI detection tool Decopy AI analyzed the image shown in the video and determined that it is 97.12% likely to have been generated by artificial intelligence. 

However, the video contains no disclaimer or indication that the visuals were artificially created. As a result, many Filipinos appear to believe the claims presented, with several thanking the woman and saying they were “enlightened” by her explanation.

The top-liked comment reads, “Mga duter30 ang dapat mag-president forever para malinis ang bansa.”

(The Dutertes should be the ones to become president forever so the country can be cleaned up).

The video surfaced amid Duterte’s impending impeachment trial. Rappler has fact-checked other posts using AI-generated media to express support for the Vice President:

• FACT CHECK: Video of ‘drug addict’ supporting VP Sara impeachment is AI-generated
• FACT CHECK: Video of students opposing Sara Duterte impeachment is AI-generated

Impeachment: On February 5, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Duterte for betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. But on June 10, rather than proceeding with a full trial, the Senate voted 18–5 to send the articles of impeachment back to the House, citing alleged constitutional defects. 

While Senate President Chiz Escudero insisted this was not a dismissal, critics — including legal experts and minority senators — condemned it as a veiled and unconstitutional refusal to fulfill the Senate’s duty to try impeachments. (READ: Remanding Sara impeachment articles to House unconstitutional — experts)

Presidential bid: Back in February, Duterte confirmed in an interview with News5 that she was eyeing a presidential bid in 2028 — a notable shift from her earlier refusal to talk about future political plans.

“I’m seriously considering running in the 2028 presidential elections dahil sa mga nakikita natin sa bayan natin na dapat ayusin, na dapat baguhin,” she said.

(I’m seriously considering running in the 2028 presidential elections because of what we’re seeing in our country — things that need to be fixed, things that need to be changed.)

In March, she also hinted at her 2028 presidential bid during an event in Hong Kong. – Marjuice Destinado/Rappler.com

Marjuice Destinado is a junior political science student at Cebu Normal University (CNU). An Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2025, she serves as the feature editor of Ang Suga, CNU’s official student publication.

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