By Jacob Delos Santos
The arrest of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday has triggered a wave of online disinformation, with his supporters flooding social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube with unverified claims and falsehoods.
On 11 March, Duterte was flown to The Hague on the strength of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for crimes against humanity he allegedly committed between November 1, 2011 and March 16, 2019.
Human rights groups estimate that up to 30,000 people were killed under Duterte’s watch, from his tenure as mayor of Davao City to his presidency, where he spearheaded a violent “war on drugs” that drew international condemnation.
Duterte’s arrest has deeply polarised Filipinos worldwide, leading to street protests both in the Philippines and in The Hague. Online, the divide has played out through a flood of misleading, unverified, and false reports, largely pro-Duterte, according to VERA Files, a fact-checking organisation.
“Every day since Duterte’s arrest, we have fact checked misinformation and disinformation concerning it and the ICC (International Criminal Court). Overwhelmingly, the disinformation is pro-Duterte,” Celine Samson, head of the online verification team at VERA Files, told the Philippines Star.
Here, we break down some of the false, misleading, and unverified claims that have been spreading online.
FALSE: Trump issues statement in support of Duterte after his arrest
Social media posts have circulated a fake quote from US President Donald Trump, allegedly covered by Fox News, voicing support for Duterte.
Despite Trump’s historically warm relationship with Duterte, he has not issued any statement regarding the arrest. Facebook has now flagged these posts as false information, citing third-party fact-checkers.
FALSE: The ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines
A widely shared claim by Duterte’s supporters is that the ICC lacks jurisdiction because the Philippines withdrew from the court in 2019.
However, the ICC retains authority over crimes committed while the Philippines was a state party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. This means it still has jurisdiction over Duterte’s alleged crimes, reported to have been committed between 2011 and 2019.
To date, 53 complaints have been filed against Duterte with the ICC, including by Rise Up for Life and Rights, an organisation advocating for families of extrajudicial killing (EJK) victims.
FALSE: Duterte is only accused of 43 extrajudicial killings
Some Duterte supporters have downplayed the number of alleged killings committed during Duterte’s time. They claim that the arrest warrant only covers 43 cases, contrary to 6,000 to 30,000 deaths cited by human rights groups.
However, the warrant explicitly states that there are “reasonable grounds to believe” that widespread attacks against civilians took place over several years, with “thousands of deaths.” The 43 cases referenced in the warrant are merely “a sample” used for legal analysis.
The warrant also uses the phrase “at least” to qualify the number of crimes alleged to have been committed against civilians.
FALSE: Duterte ‘went missing’ from ICC detention center
A claim made by former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea suggests that Duterte disappeared from the Scheveningen detention center on March 13, with some alleging that the ICC had “kidnapped” him.
However, the ICC immediately refuted this, stating that Duterte was undergoing routine medical checks, a standard practice for all new detainees.
“When a suspect arrives in ICC custody, the Court takes measures to protect their health and well-being,” the ICC confirmed in a statement.
Manipulated videos: Protests taken out of context
In an effort to bolster the narrative of global support for Duterte, some social media accounts have shared videos of large crowds from Argentina and Serbia, falsely claiming they were pro-Duterte protests.
The ICC has since released a Q&A document clarifying Duterte’s legal situation, rights as a suspect, and next steps in the case.
In order to help distinguish fake news online, VERA Files’ Cecile Samson advises the public to “Check, check and check, before you believe anything on the internet.”
She continues, “Check your emotions. Does a post make you enraged, sad, incredibly happy? Bad actors use people’s emotions to make you click on their posts, and more clicks mean more money to them.”
About the author
Jacob Delos Santos is a master’s student at SOAS, University of London. Originally from Marikina City, he now lives in Oxfordshire, working in medical advertising at IPG Health.
Beyond journalism, Jacob enjoys anime, swimming, and cooking vegan Asian dishes. His favorite fruit? Fresh mangoes from his family’s province in Zambales.
