FACT CHECK: Photo of Alex Eala statue in QC is AI-generated

Claim: A nearly complete statue of Alexandra Eala is being built in Quezon City as a tribute to the Filipina tennis star. 

Rating: FALSE 

Why we fact-checked this: The viral post has already gained 9,700 reactions, 393 comments, and 211 shares as of writing. It was posted on October 2, amid the continued winning streak of the World No. 54 tennis player. 

Its caption reads: “HOMETOWN PRIDE: In Quezon City, Philippines, a towering tribute is nearly complete — a statue of Alexandra Eala, carved to immortalize the achievements of the nation’s tennis jewel. More than just stone and steel, it is a symbol etched into the hearts of her people, honoring the young star who carried the flag onto the world stage and inspired a generation.”

It further claims that Eala was allegedly emotional and overwhelmed when she saw the statue under construction. The post used a photo of the statue and another photo of Eala holding her phone while crying. 

Several Facebook users in the comment section believed that the claim was true, leaving congratulatory comments for Eala. 

The facts: The photo of the statue is generated using artificial intelligence (AI). Detector tool Sight Engine flagged the image as 94% AI-generated. Decopy AI also detected a 64% probability of AI use in the photo, while Hive Moderation flagged the image as 80% likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content.

The AI-generated photo also shows the Mall of Asia Arena in the background of the supposed statue. The arena is located in Pasay City, contradicting the claim that the statue is allegedly being built in Quezon City. There are also no credible news reports about the supposed statue.

Tennis star: Eala has been making history in the field of tennis, following consecutive wins on the international stage. The 20-year-old player recently earned a new career high, climbing to No. 54 in the latest WTA rankings following tournaments in China.

In September, Eala claimed her first WTA 125 title after a come-from-behind match against Hungary’s Panna Udvardy in the final of the Guadalajara Open in Mexico.

Eala also gave the Philippines its historic win in a Grand Slam main draw after defeating world No. 15 Clara Tauson of Denmark in the opening round of the US Open in New York on August 24. 

Previous fact checks: Rappler has previously debunked similar claims about Eala: 

– 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. 

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