At least seven Facebook posts are claiming that Vice President Sara Duterte had said her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, is coming home next week to the Philippines. This is fake.
The post published on July 26 contains a graphic with a photo of the two Dutertes and a fake quote attributed to the vice president:
“Ayon sa ating Tatay Digong, sa susunod na linggo, siya ay uuwi na sa Pilipinas
(According to our Tatay Digong, he will be returning to the Philippines next week).”
The visual copy adds a text that says:
“GOOD NEWS! FPRRD IS COMING HOME NEXT WEEK! TATAY DIGONG, MALAPIT NA MULI SA ATIN (Tatay Digong is coming our way again soon)! WE STAND WITH FPRRD”
The accompanying caption frames the claim as breaking news:
“📢 BREAKING NEWS💚👊👊
Ayon sa naging pahayag ni VP Sara Duterte, inaasahang makakauwi si FPRRD sa susunod na linggo.
Patuloy nating hintayin ang opisyal na kumpirmasyon at mga susunod na anunsyo.
Abangan ang mga update.
(BREAKING NEWS
According to a statement by VP Sara Duterte, FPRRD is expected to return home next week.
Let us continue to wait for official confirmation and subsequent announcements.
Stay tuned for the updates).”
Another FB post published on the same date was paired with a caption asserting that the former president would be returning home the following week.
During the vice president’s July 25 visit to the United Kingdom, where her Filipino supporters gathered at Marble Arch in central London, Duterte did not say that her father is returning to the Philippines next week. Instead, she mentioned she would see him the following week, adding that the former president is loved by many who are eagerly awaiting his release and return to the country.
“Ang susunod na pagpapasalamat, makikita ko po siya sa susunod na linggo. Mahal nating lahat at inaantay natin lahat ang kaniyang paglabas at pag-uwi sa Pilipinas
(For the next expression of gratitude, I will be seeing him next week. We all love him, and we are all awaiting his release and return to the Philippines).”
The International Criminal Court in The Hague has not issued any order for provisional liberty, authorization, or release that would legally permit the former president to travel back to the Philippines.
The elder Duterte remains under ICC detention awaiting his trial for crimes against humanity scheduled to begin on Nov. 30.
The fake post surfaced a day after the July 25 Filipino community gathering at Marble Arch in London, which was attended by the vice president to connect with overseas supporters and deliver a keynote address during her United Kingdom visit.
Posted by PAGE NI MCCOY with 18,000 followers and several Facebook users, the posts have so far collectively garnered 150,872 reactions, 9,766 comments, and 6,837 shares.
