A viral Facebook reel is claiming that Philippine government officials transferred US$100 million to the International Criminal Court for the release of the warrant of arrest against former president Rodrigo Duterte. The claim has no basis.
The clip posted on June 5 shows a vlogger reacting to a soundbite from an unknown source saying:
“…[m]ismong si Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co na may hawak ng budget ng Pilipinas ang ang naghatid sa ICC ng nakakalulang $100 million na winithdraw sa Bank of the Netherlands isang linggo bago ang isinagawang pag-aresto kay dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte.”
(… [i]t was Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co himself, who holds the budget of the Philippines, that delivered a whopping $100 million to the ICC withdrawn from the Bank of the Netherlands one week before the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte.)
Co chaired the House Committee on Appropriations until he stepped down in January this year, making him one of the figures who oversaw the process of passing the 2025 General Appropriations Bill into law.
However, neither the appropriations committee chair nor any legislator has direct access to the funds for appropriated line items in the budget.
National Budget Circular No. 595 states, “Release of funds in the FY 2025 GAA are made directly to the Regional Offices (ROs) and OUs [operating units] of agencies where funds are specifically appropriated.”
More, although the ICC accepts donations from governments, the Court’s criteria for voluntary contributions dictate that such contributions must not compromise its independence.
Its financial rules and regulations also state that donations should be “consistent with the nature and functions of the Court.”
The ICC and its trust fund for victims publish press releases of contributions received from governments. The Court has not reported on any donation received from the Philippine government or any Philippine official.
VERA Files Fact Check has reached out to Co and the ICC for comment. Both have yet to respond as of publishing.
The reel circulated two days after the ICC prosecution submitted its sixth batch of evidence concerning Duterte’s case, in which he is accused of committing crimes against humanity.
The FB user that published the baseless claim has 18,000 followers. His reel has garnered over 1.2 million views and 3,500 comments as of writing.
