A quote card spreading online claims that detained former president Rodrigo Duterte has apologized and pleaded to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to bring him back to the Philippines. This is fake.
On Jan. 22, a TikTok user uploaded a quote card featuring an alleged photo of Duterte wearing a hospital gown. The text on the image presents a supposed statement from Duterte that read:
“Patawarin niyo na ako. Palayaan niyo na ako. Pangulong Bongbong Marcos, iuwi niyo na ako sa Pilipinas, parang awa niyo na. Hayaan niyo na akong mamahinga sa Pilipinas
(Forgive me. Set me free. President Bongbong Marcos, please bring me home to the Philippines, have mercy on me. Allow me to rest in the Philippines).”
In the caption, the user further wrote a paragraph detailing the supposed plea along with a spurious headline:
“RODY DUTERTE, NANAWAGAN KAY PBBM: ‘PAUWIIN NIYO NA AKO SA PILIPINAS
(RODY DUTERTE APPEALS TO PBBM: ‘LET ME RETURN HOME TO THE PHILIPPINES’)”
A cursory and keyword search using the full quote yielded no official or credible sources confirming that the former president made such a statement. The remark also does not appear in official releases or interviews from his defense camp or family members, nor has it been reported by any major Philippine or international news outlet.
A quick review of the page reveals that it has been posting unverified quote cards related to Duterte’s case at the International Criminal Court.
Last Sept. 11, Partido Demokratiko Pilipinas – Laban, Duterte’s political party, pleaded to Marcos to bring the former president home while he faces trial for crimes against humanity before the ICC over the extrajudicial killings under his administration’s war on drugs. However, Malacañang refused to comment on the matter, based on a report from Inquirer.net.
The fake quote card surfaced a week after the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor called for witnesses to come forward and provide information on its investigation into the drug war campaign.
Duterte remains at the ICC detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands after the Appeals Chamber rejected his appeal for an interim release request last Nov. 28.
The spurious post, published by TikTok user Metropolitan News Channel, has so far received 61,900 views; 719 reactions; 159 comments; and 22 shares.
