ICC Case Faces Year of Disinformation Campaigns

In the aftermath of Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) last year, a massive disinformation campaign has emerged, creating a parallel reality for many Filipinos following the case. The former president, arrested on March 11, 2025, faces charges of crimes against humanity for his notorious war on drugs, but online platforms have become battlegrounds where facts compete with fiction.

A year-long investigation reveals a coordinated network of pro-Duterte channels systematically spreading false information about his case. These fabrications range from claims about his release and return to Davao, to elaborate fictions about worldwide monuments built in his honor. Some even falsely report his death or deteriorating health to generate sympathy.

According to Rappler’s research, from March 2025 to February 2026, fact-checkers debunked 107 false narratives specifically related to Duterte’s ICC case, representing nearly 20% of all fact-checks conducted during that period. These falsehoods reached potentially millions of viewers across major social media platforms.

The most prevalent category of misinformation involves claims of Duterte’s release, with 42 unique false narratives identified. These typically feature manipulated videos, fake quote cards, and doctored images purporting to show ICC prosecutors announcing the dismissal of charges. Some fabrications even suggest President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s involvement in orchestrating Duterte’s supposed return to the Philippines.

Another significant category includes fabricated court updates, with 29 unique claims inventing nonexistent orders from world leaders or testimonies from ICC judges supposedly indicating Duterte’s innocence. Additionally, 26 false claims regarding jurisdiction and procedural law falsely suggest Philippine institutions have invalidated the ICC’s authority in the case.

“The goal is to blur the truth and fuel a groundswell of support for the former president,” noted the research team, highlighting how these disinformation efforts follow a calculated playbook to undermine the legal proceedings.

The campaign extends beyond traditional misinformation tactics, with prominent YouTube channels like Reaction TV PH (570,000 subscribers) and Pinoy Views & Opinion (nearly 1 million subscribers) amplifying these false narratives. The disinformation ecosystem has also embraced AI-generated content, with at least 21 deepfake claims debunked during May 2025 alone—a period coinciding with the Philippines’ midterm elections that benefited Duterte’s political allies.

Perhaps most disturbing is how the disinformation campaign targets the families of drug war victims. Social media accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers have deployed deepfakes to discredit these families, including AI-generated images showing relatives of victims with luxury goods, falsely suggesting they were financially motivated to seek justice.

When other narratives fail to gain traction, pro-Duterte channels resort to claims about his failing health or imminent death. Nine separate fact-checks have debunked rumors portraying him as too frail to stand trial, despite official ICC medical assessments confirming he is physically capable of participating in the proceedings.

As pre-trial hearings continue at The Hague, the wave of disinformation shows no signs of abating. The coordinated effort to shield Duterte from accountability represents a significant challenge for fact-checkers and journalists attempting to provide accurate coverage of this landmark case.

Legal experts note that this pattern of information manipulation is increasingly common in high-profile international criminal cases, where public perception battles often run parallel to courtroom proceedings. The ICC case against Duterte represents not just a legal reckoning for the Philippines’ controversial drug war but also a test of how democratic societies navigate the increasingly sophisticated landscape of digital disinformation.