FACT CHECK: Duterte not back in PH; post takes out of context old news report, video

On October 13, the same day the false post circulated, former president Rodrigo Duterte physically appeared at the fourth status conference of his case in the International Criminal Court

AT A GLANCE

• Former president Rodrigo Duterte has not returned to the Philippines; he remains detained under the International Criminal Court (ICC).
• A misleading Facebook post claimed Duterte was back in the country, using a spliced news report from March 2025 that misrepresented his actual activities.
• Duterte's ICC case is ongoing, with his trial set to start on November 30, and he has made recent appearances related to the case.

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Claim: Former president Rodrigo Duterte has returned to the Philippines. 

Rating: FALSE 

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook reel bearing the claim has already received 344,000 views, 1,200 comments, and 1,200 shares as of writing. It was posted on October 13 and continues to gain traction up to this date. 

It shows a snippet from GMA’s Balitanghali news report, which began with, “Mainit-init na balita, nakauwi na sa bansa si dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte.”

(Breaking news: Former president Rodrigo Duterte has returned to the country.) 

Another clip was then attached to the news report, showing Duterte wearing a brown jacket and a red shirt. Text overlaid on the video reads, “Welcome back Tatay (Father) Digong.”

Some of the Facebook users in the comment section believed the video’s implication that Duterte has already arrived in the Philippines after being detained in the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) detention facility in The Hague, The Netherlands. One comment reads, “Talagang totoo nakauwi na tatay Digong congrats.”

(It’s absolutely true. Tatay Digong has made it home. Congratulations!) 

The facts: Duterte is not back in the Philippines as he remains detained under ICC custody. On October 13, the same day the false post began circulating, Duterte physically appeared at the fourth status conference on his crimes against humanity case. 

The news report and video used in the misleading post were spliced and misrepresented. The report was actually first published in March 2025 during Duterte’s arrival from an event in Hong Kong. 

News anchor Connie Sison originally said, “Mainit-init na balita. Nakauwi na sa bansa si dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte matapos dumalo sa isang pagtitipon sa Hong Kong nitong weekend.” 

(Breaking news. Former President Rodrigo Duterte has returned to the country after attending a gathering in Hong Kong this weekend.) 

Rappler has previously fact-checked a similar post misrepresenting the same video in December 2025. The part where Sison mentions “Hong Kong” was also removed from the clip to falsely claim Duterte is back in the Philippines. 

Meanwhile, the video of Duterte’s arrival was posted on March 1, 2025, when the former president was not yet arrested. 

AFP Fact Check has also debunked similar false claims of Duterte’s supposed homecoming that used the video of him in the same red shirt and brown jacket attire. 

ICC case: Duterte’s ICC case is currently ongoing, with the trial set to start on November 30. The former president recently made his second personal appearance during the October 13 status conference, in which discussions focused on the prosecution’s extensive evidence and the defense’s complaints about the overwhelming amount of data provided.

The international tribunal also recently ruled that Duterte is fit to face trial, noting that the former leader can understand the charges against him, the purpose and consequences of the proceedings, the course of the proceedings, the evidence, and instructing counsel in preparing and conducting the defense. 

Duterte was arrested in March 2025 and now faces three counts of crimes against humanity over the alleged killings attributed to the Davao Death Squad and his war on drugs, which human rights groups estimate claimed nearly 30,000 lives.

Previous fact checks: Rappler has previously fact-checked similar false claims about Duterte’s return to the Philippines: 

• FACT CHECK: Duterte not back in PH; posts use AI-generated ‘airport’ photo 
• FACT CHECK: Post uses AI-generated news report to falsely claim Duterte is back in PH 
• FACT CHECK: Spliced news report used to falsely claim Duterte is back in PH 
• FACT CHECK: Duterte not back in PH; video misuses 2025 news report of his arrest 
• FACT CHECK: Duterte remains detained; VP Sara not at ICC to ‘pick up’ her father 
• FACT CHECK: Duterte not back in PH, family photo misused 
• FACT CHECK: Duterte not back in Davao amid confirmation of charges hearing 

– Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com 

Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024. 

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