As Rodrigo Duterte continues to be detained in The Hague, Netherlands, a graphic is circulating online claiming a certain judge named “Alice N. Borderland” argued that the former president should not be held accountable for his crimes against humanity in connection with his administration’s drug war. This is fake.
On May 4, a Duterte supporter published the graphic on Facebook with the photo of the purported woman judge and her alleged remark:
“FORMER PRESIDENT DUTERTE MUST NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR HIS CRIMES! He made the Philippines one of the safest places in the world!
— JUSTICE ALICE N. BORDERLAND, TA, TYD
JUDGE”
The user shared the graphic on two FB groups, including a pro-Vice President Sara Duterte, where it gained traction, drawing thousands of likes and heart reactions and some netizens in the comment section believing the claim.
The name of the judge who made the fake statement of support for Duterte was derived from the title of a Japanese science fiction television series Alice in Borderland. The woman in the graphic somehow resembled the female character in the series named Usagi, particularly the bob haircut.
The bogus post provided no evidence for its claim aside from the unverified source “BWC World News” cited in its caption.
VERA Files ran the photo through artificial intelligence detection tool, Decopy AI, which flagged it as 98% likely AI-generated. It noted that “while the human elements appear realistic at first glance, the lack of subtle imperfections and the smooth and uniformity in lighting and texture give away AI generation.”
On the other hand, results from the other five detection tools used by the Deepfakes Analysis Unit of the India-based Trusted Information Alliance suggested otherwise, with an expert attributing the findings to the “graininess of the image.”
“AI images used to have a characteristic sheen and it is likely that bad actors started prompting grainy images to bypass tool detection,” the expert added.
The fraudulent graphic emerged three days after the Trial Chamber III directed concerned parties to submit observations regarding Duterte’s detention. In an order dated May 1, the chamber said that “pursuant to the statutory framework, the Accused’s pre-trial detention shall be reviewed at least every 120 days.”
When Duterte was arrested on March 11, 2025, VERA Files flagged several graphics and quote cards that likewise featured characters supposedly defending the former president and criticizing the International Criminal Court.
Uploaded three times by a pro-Duterte FB user, the posts with fictitious graphics collectively garnered 5,217 reactions; 501 comments and 414 shares as of writing.
