Video of Filipino actor reciting 'president's speech' falsely linked to ex-leader Duterte

"This is what one president said when he took office. I hope our own politicians emulate this," Leo Martinez can be heard saying at the start of a clip posted on YouTube on April 4 (archived link).

He then recites, "I don't want my photographs in your offices because I am neither a God nor an icon, because I am a servant of the nation. Instead hang pictures of your children and look at them if you need to make a decision."

"And if the temptation to steal ever arises, take a good look at your family's picture and ask yourself if they deserve to be the family of a thief who has betrayed the nation."

Overlaid text on the clip, which has been viewed more than two million times, labels Martinez's narration as "Rodrigo Duterte's speech".

Image

Screenshot of false post taken on May 5, 2025

The same clip was shared across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok by supporters of Duterte after his stunning arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Court where he stands accused of the crime against humanity of murder over his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups said killed thousands (archived link).

Comments on Martinez's clip show people believed he was quoting the former president. 

"What a beautiful statement from an honest and brilliant president of our country, Rodrigo Roa Duterte," one said.

"I am proud of PRRD," another wrote, using Duterte's initials. "He means what he says and he is truthful in serving the nation and its people." 

However, the "speech" quoted by Martinez was not by Duterte.

Multiple keyword searches found the first part of the speech is in fact by Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky. He said it towards the end of his inaugural address in 2019 (archived link).

An official English translation of his speech reads, "We will build the country of other opportunities — the one where all are equal before the law and where all the rules are honest and transparent, the same for everyone. And for that, we need people in power who will serve the people (archived link).

"This is why I really do not want my pictures in your offices, for the President is not an icon, an idol or a portrait. Hang your kids' photos instead, and look at them each time you are making a decision," Zelensky said. 

Further keyword searches for the last part of the speech quoted by Martinez led to multiple posts attributing it to Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

Though Faye pledged to fight corruption when he first swept to power in March 2024, there are no official records of him ever saying the circulating quote (archived links here, here and here).

A representative for Leo Martinez confirmed with AFP that his video has been misrepresented.

"The video was recorded by Leo Martinez as a personal message to Philippine politicians and in time for [the] coming elections. It is a quote of President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine," Gina Martinez of Manila Genesis Entertainment and Management said on May 8.

There has been a major spike in misinformation tied to the case since the elder Duterte's arrest, some of which has been debunked by AFP.