Altered thumbnail show Co in airport chase, prison uniform
- 18 minutes ago
- 2 min read
A YouTube thumbnail falsely shows former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co being chased by police at Prague Airport in the Czech Republic and wearing a prison uniform, even though the video provides no evidence that he escaped, went missing or fled Czech custody.
The thumbnail of the April 26 video posted by YouTube vlogger Sangkay Janjan claimed that Co was missing and suggested someone had helped him escape:
OMG! ZALDY CO NAWAWALA! MAY NAGPATAKAS (OMG! Zaldy Co is Missing! Did someone help him escape)?
The video’s title reinforced the escape angle:
BREAKING NEWS! ZALDY CO NAKATAKAS NA?! GRABE ANG NANGYARI (Breaking News! Has Zaldy Co Escaped?! What a shocking turn of events)!
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on his Facebook page on April 16 that Co had been detained by Czech authorities after crossing into the Czech Republic without proper documentation. He is wanted in connection with graft and malversation cases linked to alleged anomalous flood control projects .
The thumbnail appears digitally composited, combining several visual elements: Police allegedly chasing Co at Václav Havel Airport, Co in a prison uniform and an airplane in rainy weather.
A closer look shows unnatural facial lines and wound-like marks on Co, uneven lighting and blurred or unreadable details on the police uniforms. The airport background, signage and logo do not match those at Václav Havel Airport.
The police uniforms do not match the official style worn by members of the Czech police, particularly in the placement of labels and reflective patterns of the clothing.
The Prague Airport logo shown in the thumbnail contains visual inconsistencies and does not match the airport’s official logo design.
Co’s picture in prison uniform appears to be based on a September 2023 House Committee on Appropriations photo released by the House of Representatives and used in news outlets, including Philstar. The altered image preserves Co’s face angle and pose, but changes his microphone and clothing into a prison uniform and added grime or stain-like marks.
AI detection tool Hive Moderation flagged the thumbnail photo as likely AI-generated, giving it an 83.5% score. It identified markers associated with Gemini 3 (69% probability).
Sightengine, meanwhile, returned a low likelihood of AI generation or deepfake manipulation. The mixed results mean the safer finding is that the thumbnail is altered or digitally composited, with possible AI-generated or AI-assisted elements.
Sangkay Janjan’s video had more than 15,479 views, 998 likes and 248 comments as of writing. It also appeared on other platforms, including Tagalog.com, with Sangkay Janjan still identified as the uploader. The same thumbnail was also posted on Facebook pages Secrets of Showbiz and Entertainment Buzz on April 27. (JS)
