FACT CHECK: FAKE Noli de Castro quote defending Duterte reemerges

A fake quote attributed to broadcast journalist “Kabayan” Noli De Castro has re-circulated on Facebook and TikTok. The bogus posts “quoted” De Castro as supporting president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

An FB user posted the following quote on Sept. 28 and attributed it to the veteran broadcaster:

“Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, or Tatay Digong, did not start the war on drugs to kill people—he started it to save lives. He gave drug users a chance to change, to surrender, and to choose a better path. But many refused. They kept using, selling, and hurting innocent people. So, what should a leader do? Allow criminals to destroy families, or take action to stop them?

Losing one addict is sad, but saving thousands of innocent lives is justice. Under Duterte, the streets became safer. Women could walk at night without fear, and families could sleep peacefully.

And for those who say innocent people were killed—Duterte did not ignore that. He punished police officers who made mistakes, removed them from service, and even sent them to jail. He fought criminals, but he did not protect those who abused their power.

Now, look at the country today. Duterte is gone, and the drug problem is returning. Crime is rising again. So ask yourself: was he really the problem, or was he the only one brave enough to solve it?”

Readers submitted similar posts to VERA Files’ Messenger Misinformation Tipline. Several others re-posted the same text on FB.

The quote is an excerpt of a post that circulated last March that has already been debunked by VERA Files. De Castro himself has also denied its legitimacy.

An advanced keyword search online by VERA Files revealed that the caption was first posted by a Duterte supporter on FB.

De Castro posted screenshots of the misinforming posts to his Facebook and Instagram accounts on March 17, calling the quote fake.

, De Castro’s home broadcasting station, also disproved the claim.

The original slew of posts spread in March following Duterte’s arrest in relation to his crimes against humanity charge from the International Criminal Court, for extrajudicial killings that happened from 2011 to 2019. The text accompanied an image of De Castro from the news program TV Patrol, which he anchors.

The quote reemerged in light of a new request for Duterte’s interim release from ICC detention. In a document released on Sept. 26, Duterte’s lawyer Nicolas Kaufman said that the Philippine government “now [contemplates] without objection” the new conditions set by his defense team, which were redacted in the public document. However, the ICC Prosecution appealed to the judges to reject this offer in a response dated Sept. 29, stressing that the Duterte camp has caused “significant delays” in the pre-trial proceedings.

Re-posts of the fake quote beginning Sept. 28 have collectively garnered over 14,800 reactions, 1,600 comments and 25,600 shares. It was also posted as a caption to a TikTok video on Sept. 27, where it received 30,700 reactions, 1,500 comments and 889 shares.

Get VERAfied

Receive fresh perspectives and explainers in your inbox every Tuesday and Friday.

• Give me perspective
• Update me
• FACT CHECK
• Online Posts
• fake quote
• Noli De Castro
• Rodrigo Duterte
• War on drugs

More Stories

VERA FILES FACT CHECK YEARENDER: Six most repeated lies creeping into public sphere in 2022

VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Hamon ni Remulla sa ICC na ipakita ang ‘pattern’ ng mga pagpatay sa giyera sa droga nangangailangan ng konteksto

Disinformation about ICC echoes Duterte’s defense, targets prosecutors

VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Marcos’ claim on ICC jurisdiction needs context

VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Inquirer.net inaccurately reports Dela Rosa, Duterte ‘charged’ in the ICC