Edited news graphic misrepresents ruling on Philippine VP impeachment

Published on August 4, 2025 at 09:40
3 min read
By Jan Cuyco, AFP Philippines

The Philippine Supreme Court blocked the impending impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte but did not clear her of charges, contrary to false online claims. The posts included a manipulated news graphic that misrepresented the tribunal's ruling.

"Du30 are (sic) innocent. It is not our duty to favor any political result. Ours is to ensure that politics are framed within the Rule of Just Law," reads text written on an apparent news graphic shared July 26, 2025 on Facebook.

The post appears to attribute the remarks to Supreme Court Justice Marvic Leonen, whose picture is included in the image.

He penned the tribunal's July 25 ruling that blocked Duterte's trial, saying it violated a constitutional provision against multiple impeachment proceedings within a single year (archived link).

The House of Representatives impeached Duterte in February, charging the vice president with graft, corruption and an alleged assassination plot against one-time ally and former running mate President Ferdinand Marcos.

"They just can't accept that SARA DU30 is innocent, no stain of corruption," says the image's Tagalog-language caption, using a popular nickname for the vice president.

Screenshot of the false post taken August 4, 2025, with a red X added by AFP

The top court's 13-0 ruling came just days before the Senate was to begin its new session, with the vice president's political future hanging in the balance (archived link).

Widely expected to run for president in 2028, a Senate trial conviction would have barred Duterte permanently from public office.

The claim -- earlier debunked by Rappler -- has also spread on TikTok, YouTube and Threads (archived link).

Several users appeared to have been misled.

"Yes Dutertes are innocent," one user commented. Another user said: "Good decision, Supreme Court. Thank God!"

But the posts share a manipulated news graphic and misrepresent the Supreme Court's decision on the case.

"Our ruling does not absolve petitioner Duterte from any of the charges. Any ruling on the charges against her can only be accomplished through another impeachment process, followed by a trial and conviction by the Senate," the court said in its decision published on its official website (archived link).

It added a new impeachment process can only be initiated against Duterte starting February 6, 2026.

A reverse image search on Google found the original graphic published on the Facebook page of local media News5 on July 25, 2025 (archived link). It does not include the quote, "Duterte are innocent".

Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the original News5 graphic

Duterte's impeachment trial has triggered a flurry of false posts, many of them debunked by AFP here.

Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.

E-mail