Netizens are circulating an old photo of Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and former president Rodrigo Duterte, falsely claiming that it was a recent meeting at the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands.
Since May 24, Facebook (FB) pages and users have been sharing a photo of Dela Rosa sitting next to Duterte on one side of what looked like a dining table. A May 25 post carried the caption:
“Bumisita si bato Dela Rosa Kay Former President Duterte sa Netherland, May napansin ba kayo kay tatay digs? #SlmtPoSaMgaSumusuporta (Bato Dela Rosa visited former president Duterte in The Netherlands. Did you notice anything about tatay Digs? #ThankYouToThoseWhoSupport) #GodBlessUsAll.”
These posts are false. Dela Rosa uploaded the photo of his one-on-one talk with Duterte back in 2022.
On Dec. 7, 2022, the senator’s official Facebook account uploaded the photo with the caption:
“We had a very serious one on one talk last night and our main topic was that he wanted to wish every Filipino a drug-free Christmas and a crime-free New Year!”
The false posts started circulating on the same day Dela Rosa posted a photo of him in front of a police car in Vienna, Austria, which sparked speculations that he would also visit Duterte in The Netherlands, which is also in Europe.
Several netizens believed the photo showing the former president is recent, with some commenting that he looks “younger” and “healthier” while in detention.
Duterte remains detained in The Hague as he awaits his confirmation of charges hearing set on Sept. 23. He is facing crimes against humanity charges in relation to his administration’s bloody drug war. VERA Files previously reported that Dela Rosa was among the personalities named in documents submitted to the ICC.
Six erroneous posts from FB users and pages, such as President Rodrigo “Rody” Roa Duterte Supporters (created on June 29, 2016 as President Rodrigo “Rody” Roa Duterte) and Protect Vice President Sara Duterte, (created on July 7, 2023 as Protect The Planet Earth) have so far collectively garnered 8,515 reactions, 1,488 comments and 511 shares.
