Al fakes duel over Duterte impeachment in Philippines

DAYS after the Philippine Senate declined to launch the impeachment trial of the country's vice president, two interviews with Filipinos arguing for and against the move went viral.

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Neither were real.

The schoolboys and elderly woman making their cases were Al creations, examples of increasingly sophisticated fakes possible with basic online tools.

"Why single out the VP?", a digitally created boy in a white school uniform asks, arguing that the case was politically motivated.

The House of Representatives impeached Sara Duterte in early February on charges of graft, corruption and an alleged assassination plot against former ally and running mate President Ferdinand Marcos.

A guilty verdict in the Senate would result in her removal from office and a lifetime ban from Philippine politics.

But after convening as an impeachment court on June 10, the senior body immediately sent the case back to the House, questioning its constitutionality.

Duterte ally Senator Ronald dela Rosa shared the video of the schoolboys - since viewed millions of times - praising the youths for having a "better understanding of what's happening" than their adult counterparts.

The vice president's younger brother Sebastian, mayor of family stronghold Davao, said the clip proved "liberals" did not have the support of the younger generation.