Senator Risa Hontiveros has dismissed as fabricated a set of AI-generated photographs circulating online that purport to show her and Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan alongside one of the minors suspected in the June 22 school shooting in Tacloban City.
“WAG MANIWALA SA AI-ASSISTED FAKE NEWS! Wala tayong picture kasama ang suspek sa Tacloban school shooting,” Hontiveros said in a Facebook post, urging the public not to believe the manipulated images. “Mahiya naman silang mga gumagamit ng trahedya para magkalat ng fake news,” she added, calling out those using a tragedy to spread disinformation.
The post juxtaposed the fabricated image with an authentic photograph it appeared to have been built from, illustrating how the suspect’s likeness was inserted beside the senators.
Fact-checking outlet Rappler, which examined the circulating material, reported that various photos and videos falsely depicting Pangilinan and Hontiveros with the alleged shooters had spread across social media, including in a Facebook group of supporters of Vice President Sara Duterte that counts more than 494,000 members. One post carried a caption claiming the suspect “needs the love of their family now more than ever.” Rappler found no official report from either senator or from authorities confirming any meeting with the suspects, and noted the false claims likely stemmed from posts linking Pangilinan to the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, which he authored and sponsored.
The fakes are part of a recurring pattern targeting Hontiveros, who has previously flagged AI-generated images falsely showing her doing farm work and disembarking from a jeepney.
The disinformation emerged amid heightened public attention on the shooting at San Jose National High School, where three students were killed and 20 others wounded after two suspects, aged 14 and 15, opened fire. Police investigators have said the minors planned the attack in advance and had researched the juvenile justice law in the belief they would be shielded from liability. Pangilinan, for his part, has stressed that the law does not exempt children in conflict with the law from accountability.
Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, is set to reopen the panel’s inquiry on July 1 to examine whether online platforms play a role in radicalizing children into violence.
