A network of TikTok accounts was observed publishing hundreds of posts within five days to amplify false narratives surrounding former president Rodrigo Duterte’s detention in The Hague.
The posts surfaced after reports on Duterte’s alleged declining health while in the custody of the International Criminal Court, and amid a campaign calling for his interim release ahead of his trials for crimes against humanity.
Why it matters: Former president Duterte remains a divisive yet influential figure despite facing charges before the ICC.
- His enduring popularity among Filipinos continues to fuel conversations on social media, particularly on TikTok, where false claims about his detention demonstrate how coordinated content can obscure facts, shape public opinion, and distort narratives about his case and alleged crimes.
Catch up quick: Duterte is facing prosecution before the ICC for alleged crimes against humanity connected to his “war on drugs” campaign during his mayorship in Davao City and his presidency.
- An arrest warrant for Duterte was issued on March 7 and was disclosed publicly on March 11.
- Duterte was arrested by the Philippine authorities and held in ICC custody on March 12.
- Duterte’s legal team filed an interim release request on June 12, citing that he was not a flight risk and that an undisclosed country had agreed to host him.
- On June 23, the ICC rejected the Duterte counsel’s request, citing concerns over flight risk, interference with evidence, and witness intimidation.
- His counsel renewed the motion for an interim release request on Aug. 18, where the Duterte camp added conditions to meet the ICC’s concerns.
- Duterte was originally scheduled to stand on trial on Sept. 23, but the ICC postponed the hearing on Sept. 8 due to Duterte’s health concerns.
- During her visit to Japan, Vice President Sara Duterte disclosed that a third country had expressed willingness to host the former president.
What we found: PressOne.PH found a wave of TikTok accounts pushing false claims about Duterte’s alleged interim release from ICC proceedings.
- Within a week, these accounts uploaded hundreds of videos designed to mimic news updates and amplify the false narrative that Duterte’s interim release request had been granted.
- The TikTok accounts used recycled and current clips to push the claim that Duterte was no longer detained.
- Other content leaned on gimmicks, such as videos of creators dancing and crying out of happiness with “breaking news” overlays, to drive views and shares in a phenomenon PressOne.PH calls “news-cycle disinformation.”
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What’s being posted: Most content leaned heavily on emotional hooks like dramatic music, overlay texts, and emojis, aiming to sway viewers toward sympathy and belief in unverified claims.
- The TikTok accounts shared the publicly redacted version of a defense notification filed with the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber on Sept. 26.
- The filing misrepresented Palace Press Officer Claire Castro’s statement on the Philippine government’s position about Duterte’s interim release, where she simply said the government would respect whatever the ICC’s decision would be.
- Yet Duterte’s counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, claimed this meant that interim release was a “possibility now contemplated without objection” by the Philippine government (Kaufman’s emphasis).
- Moreover, the document provided no confirmation that the request had been granted.
- They also uploaded a clip of Sara Duterte from her visit to Japan, where she revealed that another country was open to taking in the former president.
- The vice president stated that Duterte’s defense team had included that detail in the interim release filing and emphasized that the request was still pending.
- She further clarified that Japan was not the country being referred to.
- The old videos of Duterte with a cane, meeting foreign officials, and boarding a plane were misrepresented as proof of his release.
- Overlay texts added to these videos, congratulating the former president for a release that did not occur, misrepresented the situation.
- A snippet from a pro-Duterte supporter’s livestream, in which they thanked God, has also circulated on the platform.
- The re-uploaded clip displayed on-screen text falsely claiming that Duterte’s release had been approved.
- Another video from a pro-Duterte supporter has been reshared by other users, with some dueting it and others posting reaction videos.
- The video featured colorful visuals and edited text falsely claiming that Duterte’s interim release had finally happened.
The bottom line: The flood of TikTok posts shows how coordinated disinformation efforts can exploit Duterte’s enduring influence to blur facts and manipulate public sentiment.
- By repackaging old footage, exaggerating official filings, and relying on emotional hooks, these accounts fuel confusion that not only misleads audiences but also undermines accountability in ongoing ICC proceedings.
New developments: Prior to publishing this story, the Senate adopted a resolution urging the ICC to consider placing the former president under house arrest for “humanitarian reasons.”
- The framing of the resolution as a “humanitarian” one has substantiated the narratives surrounding the case and could potentially fuel another convincing spin of disinformation.
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