Video shows Duterte in 2022, not 'returning from ICC detention'

Published on April 1, 2025 at 08:06
3 min read
By Jan Cuyco, AFP Philippines

After the International Criminal Court (ICC) informed ex-Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte of his alleged crimes against humanity during a hearing on March 14, a video was falsely shared in posts claiming it showed the former leader returning to his home city. Duterte in fact remains in ICC custody, with a hearing to confirm the charges stemming from his deadly war on narcotics set for September 23. The video in the false posts is a news report from July 2022, after his presidency ended.

"Father Digong has returned home," reads Tagalog-language text on a TikTok video, using a nickname for Duterte, that was posted on March 16, 2025.

The video, which was viewed over 68,000 times, shows TV news footage about Duterte arriving in his home city of Davao in the southern Philippines. The reporter says: "According to the former president, he is happy because he can properly rest and can freely do whatever he wants as a private citizen."

It was shared after the ICC held an initial hearing on March 14 to inform Duterte of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, as well as his rights as a defendant (archived link).

The former president is facing a charge of crimes against humanity for murder over his crackdown on narcotics that rights advocates say killed tens of thousands of mostly poor men, often without proof they were linked to drugs.

The court set a date of September 23 for the next stage of the process: a hearing to confirm the charges.

Screenshot of the false TikTok post, captured on March 31, 2025

Similar posts were shared elsewhere on TikTok.

"Welcome home, Mr President," read a comment on one of the posts, while another said: "That was fast. Didn't they say Duterte will take six months before he can return to the Philippines?"

But Duterte has not been released from ICC custody.

Reports from Philippine broadcaster GMA News and the Daily Tribune quoted Duterte's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, as saying she saw him for an hour after the March 14 hearing (archived here and here). Neither report says the former president was being released.

Moreover, in an interview with AFP on March 30, Duterte's lead lawyer Nicholas Kaufman said he was visiting the former president virtually every day in the ICC detention centre (archived link).

Old news report

Keyword searches on Google of the news chyron visible in the falsely shared video led to a July 1, 2022 report from local broadcaster One PH (archived link).

"The people of Davao welcomed former president Rodrigo Duterte's arrival," reads the Tagalog-language title of the report, which was posted on Facebook.

One PH also included the report at the 41:26-mark of the YouTube livestream of its daily newscast One Balita Pilipinas (archived link).

Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and the 2022 news report (right)

The circulating news report was published a day after Ferdinand Marcos took his oath as Philippine president, succeeding the hugely popular Duterte (archived link).

Social media has been flooded with misinformation since Duterte's arrest and transfer to the ICC on March 11, many of the posts have been debunked by AFP here.

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