FACT CHECK: Viral video of Cebu road damaged by Typhoon Tino is AI-generated

While Typhoon Tino had a devastating impact in Cebu, the AI-generated video does not show real footage of the typhoon’s aftermath

Claim: A video shows vehicles and individuals submerged in floodwaters after a road was damaged in Cebu due to Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi).

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The video, posted on November 5, has already received 1 million views, 6,000 reactions, 1,500 shares, and 639 comments as of writing.

The Facebook video shows individuals rescuing those trapped in vehicles that fell into a river after a bridge was damaged by Typhoon Tino. The text overlaid on the video reads, “Bagyong Tino grabi ang kadaot sa Cebu (Typhoon Tino causes severe damage in Cebu).”

Several Facebook users were convinced that the video is real, with one commenter writing, “[Hindi] ni AI oy. Tinuod dyod ni (It’s not AI. It’s true).”

The facts: While Typhoon Tino had a destructive impact on Cebu, the video does not show real footage of the typhoon’s aftermath.

AI detector tool Hive Moderation flagged the video as 98.8% likely to be AI-generated. AI image detector tool Decopy AI also flagged a screenshot from the video as 99% likely to contain AI elements.

The AI image detector tool pointed out in its analysis that “the crowd of people has varied postures and positioning, and their clothing shows some natural variation in colors and shapes. However, the crowd density and some figures appear slightly repetitive and less detailed, indicating potential minor AI generation or manipulation.”

It also noted that the floodwater “appears overly uniform in color and texture, lacking the natural variation and subtle transparency expected in real flood scenes” and that the water’s edges around the vehicles “lack the disturbances or splashes typically caused by cars and people moving through it.”

Decopy AI added that the uniformity of color tones across different vehicles raises a slight possibility of AI-enhanced elements.

Typhoon Tino: Cebu was among the areas heavily affected by Typhoon Tino, which swept through the Visayas and parts of Mindanao before exiting the Philippine area of responsibility on November 6.

According to the November 11 update of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, at least 232 individuals died, while 100 are still missing. Of the total reported fatalities, 150 were from Cebu. (READ: How to help communities affected by Typhoon Tino and Super Typhoon Uwan)

Typhoon Tino brought extreme volumes of rain in Central Visayas, with amounts exceeding the 20-year return period in many areas. The typhoon caused severe flash floods, particularly in Liloan, Cebu. (READ: [Rappler’s Best] Floods and the criminals behind them)

Previous fact checks: In the wake of the typhoon, various false claims have circulated online related to Typhoon Tino. Rappler has previously fact-checked similar claims:

– Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com

Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.

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