CLAIM: Vice President Sara Duterte was arrested in The Hague and was brought before the ICC to explain issues involving confidential funds.
RATING: FALSE
No official record showed that Vice President Sara Duterte was arrested or detained in The Hague, Netherlands, over allegations involving confidential funds.
Flagged content: An image uploaded on May 18 in a pro-Duterte Facebook group claimed that the vice president had been arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
- The post used an AI-generated image of Duterte in handcuffs being escorted by persons wearing shirts labelled “ICC court security.”
- It also included text that read: “SARA HINULI SA THE HAGUE. PAGPAPALIWANAGIN SA CONFIDENTIAL FUNDS” (Sara arrested in The Hague. Will be asked to explain confidential funds).
- The graphic used a breaking news-style template and claimed to be a report from a news organization called “Balita.”
Our debunk: The ICC’s records show that the vice president was not arrested in The Hague.
- Multiple AI-detection tools showed that the image used in the post was AI-generated or digitally manipulated.
- As of June 4, 2026, the ICC had not issued any record or statement indicating that the vice president had been arrested or taken into its custody.
- The ICC has no public record of any case involving the vice president.
- Allegations involving confidential funds do not fall under the ICC’s jurisdiction, as the court only handles cases involving genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crime of aggression.
- Duterte’s latest appearance on the Office of the Vice President’s Facebook page on June 5 showed her joining Brigada Eskwela 2026 in Baybay City, where she distributed school supplies and took part in tree-planting activities, contradicting the claim that she had been arrested and taken into ICC custody in The Hague.
Rewind: Sara Duterte is facing an impeachment trial over allegations that include the misuse of confidential funds.
- The Senate convened as an impeachment court on May 18, 2026, with Duterte formally denying allegations against her.
Why we’re fact-checking this: The false claim circulated online has gained 177 reactions, 316 comments, and 4 shares.
- It also exhibited characteristics identified by PressOne.PH as “news-cycle disinformation” which mimic legitimate “breaking news” coverage in order to push an agenda to a wider audience.
Spot the fake: As discussions involving the impeachment proceedings and the ICC continue to gain traction online, misleading and AI-generated content has the potential to poison the conversation and distract the public from the facts.
- Both the ICC and the Philippine government are expected to issue official statements or responses in the event of an arrest of an official.
- Such events are certain to generate coverage from credible news organizations.
- Examine images for signs of AI manipulation by using free, web-based AI-detection tools such as ZeroGPT, DeepAI, and other image checkers.
- Be cautious of unfamiliar “news outlets” or pages with no verified media or publication history. Johan Ckhyla Galang
PressOne.PH is a verified signatory of the Code of Principles of the International Fact -Checking Network (IFCN) at Poynter. The code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network is a series of commitments organizations abide by to promote excellence in fact-checking. We believe nonpartisan and transparent fact-checking can be a powerful instrument of accountability journalism..
PressOne.PH believes that fact-checking is essential to combating misinformation and disinformation, and in informing and educating citizens and voters. Read more of PressOne.PH’s Fact-Checking Policy by clicking here.
The public is welcome to send feedback or requests for fact-checks at factcheck@pressone.ph.
If you believe PressOne.PH is violating the Code of Principles of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), you may submit a complaint directly to the IFCN website: https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/complaints-policy
FACT-CHECK: ICC has not arrested Sara Duterte
No official record showed that Vice President Sara Duterte was arrested or detained in The Hague, Netherlands, over allegations involving confidential funds.
FACT-CHECK: Image of Bato Dela Rosa’s “vacation” in Malaysia is AI-generated
An AI-generated image falsely showing Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa in Malaysia has racked up thousands of reactions, comments, and shares online, with comments suggesting that viewers were unable to recognize it as fake.
FACT-CHECK: No ban on several mobile, PC games
A satirical post went viral on social media claiming that an immediate ban had been imposed on popular mobile and PC games including Roblox, Mobile Legends, GTA V, and Valorant, among others.
0 Comments