AI-generated image falsely shows VP Duterte backing BINI’s ‘college journey’
- 20 hours ago
- 3 min read
A viral image falsely shows Vice President Sara Duterte posing with BINI members wearing graduation sashes supposedly from the University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas and supporting the P-Pop group’s purported “college journey.” Searches found no evidence that such an event took place.
A Google Gemini scan detected a SynthID watermark indicating that most or all of the image was generated or edited using Google AI. The image also contains visible errors including misspelled text, distorted faces and irregular hands.
The image was posted on April 18 by the “Sarah and duterte forever unity” Facebook group and had generated more than 4,300 reactions, 261 comments and 84 shares as of writing.
The image shows Duterte beside women identified through their sashes as BINI members Maloi, Sheena, Gwen and Mikha in front of a structure made to resemble UP Diliman’s Quezon Hall.
The sashes show the college where the BINI members “graduated from.” A sign held by Duterte says, “[SARA] DUTERTE SUPPORTS BINI’S COLLEGE JOURNEY! CONGRATS GRADUATES.”
The post claimed:
Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan (The youth are the hope of the nation). 🇵🇭Witnessing the Nation’s Girl Group, BINI, prioritize their studies is an inspiration to every Filipino student. Thank you, VP Sara Duterte, for showing your support for our graduates and incoming students! Congratulations to Bini Mikha, Gwen, Sheena, and the rest of the girls on this new chapter! 🎓✨💚💚#BINI #SaraDuterte #Inspiration #Education #Pilipinas #CollegeBound #VPSaraDuterte
The post appeared the same day BINI wrapped up their Coachella Weekend 2 performance. Duterte’s last known graduation-related appearance before the post was at the commencement exercises of Tawi-Tawi Criminal Justice College a week earlier.
Searches found no official announcement, credible news report or public post showing BINI recently graduating from college or Duterte attending a graduation-related event with BINI members at UP Diliman or UST.
Maloi and Colet completed senior high school at the Japan Philippine Institute of Technology (JPI) in Bulacan in 2024; Gwen and Jhoanna at the same school in 2025; and Sheena and Stacey, also at JPI, in 2026. Mikha attends senior high school at CIE British School and has been featured on the school’s Facebook page.
The image contains visible signs of manipulation.
The sablays in the generated image do not match the design of UP’s official academic costume, which is worn only by degree holders during academic functions and activities. UP’s sablay features ukkil (curvilinear design from Mindanao) and geometric elements, which differ from the sablays in the altered image.
UST graduates wear long black togas or academic gowns with colored hoods, not sashes as shown in the image.
The setting in the image is visually inconsistent with UP Diliman’s Quezon Hall. For example, the actual facade does not display a “QUEZON HALL” engraving, unlike the AI-generated image. In addition, the actual Quezon Hall is connected by a walkway on the second floor, which is not seen in the altered picture. The Oblation statue is also missing from the altered image.
Other visual artifacts include misspelled text: One sash reads “COLLEGE CRADUATE” instead of “college graduate” or “graduate,” and Duterte’s name is misspelled as “SARAH” on the sign. Faces in the background crowd appear blurred or distorted, and some hands look irregular or unnaturally blended with the objects they are holding.
Other AI detection tools Hive AI Detector, WasItAI and Sightengine also flagged the image as 100% likely generated.
Reverse image searches using Google Lens, TinEye and Yandex did not return an authentic source photo. Results showed only reposts or duplicates of the generated image. (AGS)
