ADVOCACY | This Filipina is fake, but her stories are real

Huwag na nating pagusapan ‘yan. Filipinos have a reputation for sweeping everything under a rug. Call it moral shame, or call it fear, the norm dictates bottling up and carrying on—no matter what the situation.

The consequences of such an attitude is staggering. It is not surprising that according to a 2022 Philippine National Survey, roughly 17.5% of women aged 15-49 have experienced violence at the hands of their current or most recent spouses or partners. In a society based on faith and borne of strict societal mores, victims find silence and anonymity to be the only recourse. Fear, normalized violence at home, and victim blaming stop women from talking about their abuse and allow their experience to go unreported.

So, how can we act on something that does not exist? Yes, stories compel action, but how can survivor storytellers rendered mute by fear and norms be convinced to leave the harrowing comfort of anonymity, find a voice, and be part of a community?

A good mix of advocacy and technology provides a wonderful solution. One that uses technology to create an AI-generated Filipina avatar that allows survivors presence on TikTok, a platform they are comfortable with.

The girl is a FAKE! Let’s get that out in the open. She’s fake for a good reason. Dubbed Face of Courage, this creation allows good use of generative AI to give these real storytellers a face. Not pixelated, and not distorted, or kept in the dark. In fact, you can call her by any name. This Fake Filipina avatar is the Face of Courage. Smart use of generative AI that naturally provides the shelter of anonymity is proving strong enough to encourage survivors to use her face to find their voice and tell their stories.

Behind this endeavor is The Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA), a non-government organization (NGO), founded May 1987. The Foundation for Media Alternatives serves largely to deliver access to media and information to marginalized sectors. Ten years into its founding, and with the surge of information and communications infrastructure, FMA recognized the potential of bringing internet capabilities and opening digital opportunities to these communities. Aside from Face of Courage, FMA continues to drive awareness on cyber safety, data privacy, and gender issues, including the practice of digital activism in its advocacies.

“Unfortunately, all of us know at least one woman who has experienced gender-based abuse. Face of Courage is a brave campaign,” said Lisa Garcia, FMA’s executive director. “If AI can empower Filipino women simply by lending a face, albeit computer-generated, to a real-life experience, the potential to use technology to end gender-based violence, and to campaign for the Divorce Bill should definitely be maximized.”

With the help of creative agency Dentsu Creative Manila, FMA’s AI Filipina avatar debuted in May 2024 in a series of videos on TikTok www.tiktok.com/@fmaph. Face of Courage proved polarizing, receiving praise and rave reviews, as well as the public comments expected in the age of like, love, hate—or cancel.

“Working with the trust clients like FMA gives our team inspires us to create work like Face of Courage,” said Nonie Tobias-Azores, Dentsu Creative Manila’s creative director. “With the praises we have received for this, our team continues to listen and learn from experienced community builders and cyber citizen inputs. Together we make relevant and creative life changing work aided by technology.

This fake Filipina with real stories will not be ignored. The results of Face of Courage on TikTok are promising with 35M reached and nearly 564% engagement rate—plus 184k that accessed the helpline directory https://www.facesofcourage.ph/.

Everywhere, AI remains a hot topic, and the media continues its love-hate attitude towards it. The Face of Courage is simply a divine act of courage and strategic use of technology. Using generative AI for Fake Filipina to harness technology for good is clearly possible. Providing the capability to borrow a face so one can share the physical pain, find a voice in the digital space, and hope for healing mentally and emotionally is not bad at all. Who cares if the face is fake? For Foundation of Media Alternatives, creating Face of Courage is that push for change—one real story at a time, one real woman at a time.

If you, or anyone you know has experienced any kind of abuse, we are here to help. Visit www.facesofcourage.ph to get the support you need.