Brazil’s 2026 presidential election offers the Philippines a timely warning about the limits of AI campaign rules. Rappler reported that fact-checking group Agência Lupa confirmed 920 of 1,941 election-related posts as AI-generated between August 16 and September 28. Sixty percent were deepfakes, or synthetic media showing real people doing things they never did. The scale matters because election misinformation is no longer limited to occasional fabricated images. Generative tools can now produce a steady stream of persuasive material that reaches voters faster than traditional verification systems can respond.
Disclosure rules did not stop the content from spreading. Lupa found that 60 percent of the analyzed AI posts carried no transparency label from the person who published them. Nearly half of the synthetic media came from voters or accounts outside the disclosure rules applied to candidates and parties. Anonymous profiles produced 27 percent of the material, while official candidate accounts represented 24.5 percent. The findings show why a rule aimed only at campaign organizations can leave a large information gap around supporters, influencers and anonymous networks.
The Philippines already has a formal framework for digital campaigns. Commission on Elections Resolution No. 11064 covers social media, artificial intelligence and internet technology, including transparency requirements for election propaganda. Rappler’s report argues that Brazil’s experience exposes the gap between having a rule and enforcing it. A ban or label can help platforms and voters identify risky material, but it cannot by itself prevent reposting, humor-based attacks or content produced outside official campaign channels. Monitoring, rapid fact-checking and accountability must work together.
For Filipino voters, the practical lesson is to treat convincing political video, audio and imagery as unverified until its origin is clear. Brazil’s election monitoring found synthetic content promoting candidates, attacking rivals and impersonating journalists. Similar tactics could become more common as the Philippines moves toward its 2028 national elections. Regulators, platforms, campaigns and civil-society fact-checkers will need shared reporting channels and visible enforcement. Without that follow-through, disclosure rules may document the problem after publication rather than stopping manipulated content before it shapes public opinion.
