A viral graphic is circulating on Facebook claiming that a princess of the United Arab Emirates expressed support for former president Rodrigo Duterte and called recent hearings concerning his case at the International Criminal Court “unjust” and “biased”. This is fake.
Published on March 3, the made-up quote card attributed the statement below to a supposed Sheikha, or wife of a Sheikh, named “Miyah Khalifa”:
“Because of the ongoing crisis and rising tensions in the Middle East involving Iran, the United States, and Israel, global attention has understandably shifted away from the trial of former President Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court. However, as a Sheikha of the United Arab Emirates and a supporter of President Duterte, I urge everyone not to lose focus on what we believe to be an unjust and biased proceeding. Regardless of international conflicts and political developments, we must remain attentive, informed, and steadfast in advocating RULE34 and NETORARE for fairness and due process in his case.”
A reader asked VERA Files Misinformation Tip Line to check the veracity of the graphic’s claim.
The quote card originated the same day from the satirical FB page Duterte Supporter 3r1t4s Copium News, which publishes satire daily.
No Emirati princess nor Sheikha named Miyah Khalifa exists. The personality appears to be a reference to Mia Khalifa, a former adult entertainment actress of Lebanese and American descent. Moreover, a reverse image search for the woman in the circulating quote card turns up results only related to the former adult film star.
Other signs that point to the illegitimacy of the quote card are the terms “RULE34” and “NETORARE” in the latter part of the statement. Both are internet slang used to refer to explicit adult content.
Additionally, Duterte’s trial at the ICC has not started.
The fabricated post surfaced four days after the ICC concluded on Feb. 27 its pre-trial hearings on the case of Duterte, who is accused of committing crimes against humanity during his term as Davao City mayor and as president. The pre-trial chamber held the hearings to determine if there is sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial.
As of writing, the fake graphics published by FB pages Batang Agila (created on May 2, 2025) and Inday Pilipinas Share (created on July 19, 2021) collectively garnered 11, 409 reactions; 369 comments; and 1,411 shares. Their posts gave no indication that it originated from a satirical FB account.
