A graphic card is claiming that the supreme leader of a country called “Wadiya” has expressed support for beleaguered Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and is sending weapons to protect him from the International Criminal Court. This is fake.
On May 13, a Facebook page uploaded a graphic card showing “Supreme Leader” Admiral General Aladeen in what was presented as a breaking news report. The same image was later shared in a pro-Duterte FB group by the same page. The posts carried the following caption:
“ADMIRAL HENERAL, IINGATAN SI SEN. BATO!
(Admiral General, to protect Sen. Bato)
KATAAS-TAASANG NAMUMUNO NG BANSANG WADIYA, IPINAPAKITA ANG SUPORTA PARA KAY SENATOR RONALD ‘BATO’ DELA ROSA AT ANG LABAN PARA SA KATOTOHANAN. NAIS MAGPADALA NG MGA ARMAS AT MISSILES PARA PROTEKTAHAN ANG NATURANG SENADOR MULA SA ICC.
(The Supreme Leader of the nation of Wadiya shows support for Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa and the fight for the truth. He wants to send weapons and missiles to protect the senator from the ICC)
I HAVE HEARD THE ALADEEN NEWS AND I AM DEEPLY ALADEEN’D BY IT. I AM READY TO DEPLOY POINTY MISSILES, NOT ROUND LIKE BATO’S HEAD, TO THE PHILIPPINES. IF NOT, THE ICC WILL BE HIV… ALADEEN.”
Aladeen is a fictional character played by actor Sacha Noam Baron Cohen in the 2012 political satire comedy film “The Dictator.” Wadiya is not a real country but a fictional republic in North Africa from the same movie.
Results from three artificial intelligence detection tools showed a high possibility that the image is AI-generated.
VERA Files previously flagged the page for spreading a fake graphic of another fictional character in relation to the case of former president Rodrigo Duterte at the ICC.
The bogus posts surfaced after the ICC unsealed the warrant of arrest against Dela Rosa on May 11 for allegedly committing crimes against humanity as an indirect co-perpetrator in the killings tied to the drug war campaign under the Duterte administration, when he was chief of the Philippine National Police. After being granted protection at the Senate building, the senator reportedly left the chamber’s custody following a gunfire incident at the premises on May 13.
As of writing, the posts published by FB page Insane Pinoy Online (created Aug. 21, 2023) collectively received 4,200 reactions; 314 comments; and 586 shares.
