FACT-CHECK: Image of Duterte at the International Criminal Court is AI-generated

CLAIM: Former president Rodrigo Duterte made an appearance inside the International Criminal Court. 

RATING: FALSE

An AI-generated image falsely claimed that former president Rodrigo Duterte appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and was seen being assisted and given water by Judge Joana Korner and British barrister Peter Haynes.

Flagged content: The collage was uploaded to Facebook on June 8, with the comments indicating that its audience were unable to identify them as AI-generated.

• The caption reads, “Laban and Tatag ka lang Tatay Digong namin!” (“Fight and stay strong, our father Digong!”
• ZeroGPT and Undetectable concluded that the images were “likely created by AI”
• Likewise, Hive Moderation found that the images were “likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content.”

Our debunk: As of writing, no media outlet nor the ICC has released any photo of the former president in the court.

• Duterte was last seen on March 14, 2025 via video link from prison for his initial appearance before the ICC. He has never attended his court hearings since.

Rewind: Similar posts have surfaced since the ICC rejected the challenge to jurisdiction on April 22 and confirmed all the charges against the former president on April 23.

• On May 27, Trial Chamber III requested for Duterte to undergo another set of medical examinations, reviving rumors surrounding his health.

Why we fact-checked this: As of this writing, the Facebook post has drawn over 2,500 likes, 400 comments and 20 shares.

Spot the fake: Stay vigilant against suspicious and inflammatory posts.

• Check with official websites and reputable news outlets to confirm the facts.
• Learn to spot artifacts, inconsistencies and other common traits of AI-generated content to detect false information. (Khloe Lim)

EDITOR’S NOTE: This fact-check was originally published by PressOne.PH on August 7, 2026, and is republished by Daily Guardian under a content-sharing agreement between the two newsrooms. PressOne.PH is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network Code of Principles at the Poynter Institute. The findings, rating, and evidence are PressOne.PH’s own. Daily Guardian’s editing was limited to house style and format, and did not alter the verdict or the supporting material. Corrections and fact-check requests may be sent to factcheck@pressone.ph or to Daily Guardian at editorial@dailyguardian.com.ph. The original story is available at pressone.ph.