Several Facebook posts are claiming that detained former president Rodrigo Duterte will be transferred to Japan, citing the stance of a Japanese nongovernmental organization representative. This is false.
On June 27, a Facebook page uploaded a graphic card featuring a cartoon-style image of Duterte alongside images of former Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida and International Criminal Court Judge Iulia Motoc. The text on the card reads:
“PRRD DADALHIN SA JAPAN!
(PRRD WILL BE TAKEN TO JAPAN)”
The caption of the post referenced statements of International Career Support Association representative Shunichi Fujiki, described as a “human rights advocate” who had expressed support for Duterte. It states:
“BIG GOODNEWS! NAGLABAS ng BIGLAANG ULT1MAT0M (sic) ang JAPAN AMERIKA? 1CC (sic) UMATRAS! PRRD DADALHIN sa JAPAN!
(Big good news! Japan America suddenly released an ultimatum? ICC has backed down! PRRD will be taken to Japan!)
In an unexpected twist, a Japanese human rights advocate has taken a bold stance that could change the course of Philippine politics. This international intervention calls for the immediate release of former President Rodrigo Duterte from the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention facility, a move that has sent shockwaves through the Philippine government under President Marcos Jr.
Kumpletong kwento nasa mga komento
(Full story is in the comment).”
Another FB user reposted the photo in at least five FB groups on June 28. The posts carried the same caption with the hashtags #cctophotonotmine” and “#viral” at the end.
Fujiki denounced the arrest of Duterte on March 11 and called it “abuse of international justice” before the United Nations Human Rights Council. The ICSA also submitted a statement to the UN body on May 19 seeking its intervention for the ICC to provisionally release the former president.
Nowhere in the statement did Fujiki say that Duterte be taken to Japan. No reliable report exists showing the Japanese government has sought for Duterte’s transfer.
Duterte remains detained at Scheveningen prison in The Hague, Netherlands.
On May 21, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the UNHRC will likely ignore the “baseless claims” of the ICSA, which asserted that Duterte’s detention was “politically motivated.”
The posts surfaced following the June 23 second status conference in preparation for the trial of the former president, set to begin on Nov. 30.
As of writing, the post published by FB page Pinoy Pop Scene (created June 2023) has so far garnered 950 reactions; 191 comments; and 177 shares. Five copies uploaded by an FB netizen collectively earned 4,165 reactions; 793 comments; and 291 shares.
