Shortly after former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest over his war on drugs, his supporters falsely claimed the International Criminal Court (ICC) had dismissed its case against him due to a lack of sufficient evidence. But the social media posts misrepresent a 2023 news report about the court’s rejection of an appeal by current President Ferdinand Marcos to halt its investigation into his predecessor’s centerpiece program.
“Proof that ICC dismissed its case against President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war,” read Tagalog-language text over a Facebook reel posted March 12, 2025.
Text below the video, which racked up 9.3 million views before it was taken down, read: “Because the evidence presented to them was lacking and insufficient.”
The post emerged a day after the 79-year-old Duterte was bundled onto a plane bound for The Hague to face a charge of committing crimes against humanity for his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups have said killed thousands (archived link).
While the families of the victims have welcomed the trial, Duterte’s supporters argue it was without legal basis and that he was “kidnapped” amid the unravelling of his camp’s alliance with the ruling Marcos family.
Similar posts circulated across social media with comments from pro-Duterte users indicating they believed the ICC dismissed its case against the former president.
“They got scared of Donald Trump,” one user said.
Another comment that used Duterte’s popular nickname reads: “Thank God Father Digong can now go home.”
But the news report has been misrepresented.
Report from 2023
Keyword searches on Google found the state-run People’s Television Network (PTV) originally posted the video July 19, 2023 on YouTube (archived link).
“ICC Pre-Trial Chamber to push through with probe on alleged extra-judicial killings during drug war of Duterte admin,” the title says.
The report details how Manila’s appeal to block the reopening of the ICC’s drug war investigation was rejected that year following a majority ruling by a five-judge bench.
Read the full story on AFP Fact Check.