Posts recycle old interview of Sara Duterte to falsely claim ICC dismissed case against ex-Philippine president

Published on June 28, 2026 at 10:49
2 min read
By Lucille SODIPE, AFP Philippines

The crimes against humanity case filed against former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has not been dismissed, contrary to posts that falsely shared an audio recording of his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte purportedly saying the case had been thrown out because the ICC lacked jurisdiction. The remarks are from May 2025 where she talked about a legal challenge they submitted questioning the court's authority over her father's case.

A TikTok clip shared on June 13 shows a photo of Vice President Sara Duterte with overlaid Tagalog-language text that says, "Is what I'm hearing true? This is the voice of VP Sara."

Duterte can be heard saying, "The dismissal of the case is now officially uploaded on the ICC website because of the lack of jurisdiction of the ICC, and the immediate release of president Duterte."

Screenshot of false post taken on June 28 with red Xs added by AFP

Similar claims circulated widely on TikTok and on Facebook, and comments showed people appearing to look forward to the former president's release and return to the Philippines.

"Yes, thank God he will be free!" one wrote, while another said: "This news makes me inexplicably happy...God bless the Duterte family."

But her remarks have been shared in a false context.

A search on the ICC website did not find any official documents or pronouncements that say Duterte's case had been dismissed and that the former leader would be released immediately (archived link).

He remains detained at The Hague and faces three counts of crimes against humanity, with prosecutors alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018 during his so-called "war on drugs" (archived link).

His trial will begin on November 30.

The 81-year-old will be the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC, which prosecutes individuals for the world's worst crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The true number of killings during his campaign in the Philippines is thought to be in the thousands, and lawyers for the victims have argued that a full trial could encourage more families to come forward.

A combination of keyword and reverse image searches found the audio came from an old segment of Philippine broadcaster GMA News' evening programme "Saksi" posted on May 3, 2025, over a month after Duterte was arrested and flown to the ICC (archived link).

The vice president was interviewed on May 2 by local journalists regarding her father's defence at the time. Her answer, misused in the social media posts, can be heard starting at the 1:29 mark.

Screenshot of the May 3, 2025 segment featuring Vice President Sara Dutere on GMA News' programme 'Saksi'

In the news report, Sara explained that her father's lawyers had questioned the ICC's jurisdiction or authority over the case, and requested the court to dismiss the charges and release her father. She also noted the document containing the request was already on the ICC's website.

A check shows the document she was referring to was uploaded on May 1, 2025, a day before the vice president talked to the media about it (archived link).

Local broadcaster ABS-CBN also reported on Sara's remarks and showed the same footage of the vice president being interviewed (archived link).

The international tribunal eventually ruled in October 2025 and again in April 2026 that it has jurisdiction over Duterte's case (archived link).

Local fact-checking organisation Verafiles debunked another false claim misusing the same remarks in 2025.

AFP has debunked other misinformation surrounding Rodrigo Duterte's crimes against humanity case.

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