Hours after former president Rodrigo Duterte landed in Manila from Hong Kong on March 11, false or misleading claims flooded online, portraying him as a victim of an unlawful arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) aided by the Philippine National Police.
Tsek.ph found that deceptive narratives surrounding his arrest, which emerged in less than a week, quickly dwarfed those tied to his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment observed over six weeks.
Tsek.ph, the country’s pioneering fact-checking collaboration, reports that nearly a quarter of the 127 fact check articles since early February were about the arrest.
False or misleading claims surrounding Duterte’s arrest were overwhelmingly cross-posted, with 92% appearing on at least two platforms.
Facebook was the main driver with 73%, reflecting trends from previous Philippine elections. Tiktok’s reach, now significant among Filipinos, accounted for 43%.
Know the several forms of disinformation uncovered in this report. Follow the story on Fyt.ph.