Case Study: Deepfake-Powered “Lockdown” Hoax in the Philippines

Disinformation involving AI misuse and exploiting public concerns about the Middle East crisis is gaining traction globally. In the Philippines, disinformation is taking the form of a “lockdown” hoax off the back of false domestic fuel supply numbers. 

The Malacañang Palace recently refuted claims of an April 20 lockdown reportedly related to the ongoing war in the Middle East, adding that it will take legal action against those found guilty of peddling disinformation. PSA Intelligence’s sources have shared anecdotes about relatives and acquaintances working in government who have circulated these disinformative posts themselves, even with access to official and vetted information.

PSA Intelligence found at least four active, fraudulent Facebook “news” pages where disinformation about fuel supply-related lockdowns has been and continues to be posted. All four pages use the same AI-generated deepfake video of a male news anchor “announcing” the following script in Filipino: “The public is advised to prepare for a possible lockdown of the Philippines due to the low supply of energy, gasoline, and crude oil. Beginning April 20, [the public] should stock up on food, medicine, water, and other needs. Check out our post for the list of areas to be put on lockdown.” A less popular version of the video adds that the country’s fuel stock will only last until April 15.

Each post that uses the deepfake video or a version of it has at least two links included in its caption. The domains are manipulated to look like legitimate news headlines, but redirect instead to either a Shopee or Lazada listing of the popular portable power station brand Ecoflow. PSA Intelligence notes that interest in Ecoflow and other alternative power sources recently increased precisely due to disinformation about the country’s electricity supply in light of the Middle East conflict.

All four Facebook “news” pages have at least 12,000 and up to 75,000 followers, but appear to have only become recently active, with no publicly available posts earlier than March 2026. The operators of these pages will have to be the subject of formal investigations, but the sizes of their following relative to the pages’ digital ages are reminiscent of troll-farm page activity typically identified with partisan political campaigns in the Philippines and elsewhere. In their more malicious form, troll-farm pages are linked to influence operations designed to undermine public trust in democratic institutions.

Meanwhile, the pages’ use of deepfakes and manipulated links to e-commerce websites are similar to an emergent marketing tactic typically seen on social media sites like TikTok, where deepfake videos are used to feign authentic reviews or “expert recommendations” for certain products. The Facebook pages in question also continuously post other disinformative, AI-generated content with purposely misleading claims that appear to have less to do with current geopolitical affairs, like supposed bans on Catholicism and mobile phones.

While disinformation in times of crises is not new nor unexpected, the spread of deepfakes through a vector as aggressive as social media is aggravating the risk of disinformation for the general public, most especially for those with limited AI-related digital literacy. The World Economic Forum has consistently included mis- and disinformation in its top five short and long-term global risks since at least 2024. The related risk of AI misuse is exacerbating the impacts of false information at record speed, making it more difficult for watchdogs and regulatory bodies to catch up. 

The twin risks of mis- and disinformation and AI misuse are particularly prominent in the Philippines, where baseline media and digital literacy rates lag behind those of other Southeast Asian countries. Observers have added that the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has consistently struggled with taking control of public narratives about the government especially during periods of crises. The resulting vacuum of strategic communication is therefore occupied by malicious actors, whether politically or financially motivated. 

Disinformation is deliberately meant to provoke and incite impulsive or untoward reactions, regardless of whether its peddlers look to profit from a crisis or to undermine public authority and legitimacy. Decision-makers must recognize the risk disinformation poses to their organizations and act accordingly, beginning with increasing their own awareness of how widespread it is and practicing prudence and caution in engaging with otherwise unverified or dubious information.