While dozens of rallies were performed in the Philippines after the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte on a crime against the indictment of humanity, a video was falsely shared on social media that claimed that it showed one of the protests. The images in fact show a march led by an influential religious cult opposing movements to accuse the daughter of Duterte, vice -president Sara Duterte.
“Duterte is being arrested and Marcos is in major problems,” reads a simplified Chinese Weibo post Shared on March 15, 2025.
“Millions of Filipinos took to the streets to support Lao Du,” it adds, with the help of the Chinese nickname for the former Filipino leader. “How should this farce be created by the government of Marcos?”
The post is affiliated with a air images of a road filled with withired Marchers, followed by a clip of people collected to express support for the former leader.
Screenshot of the False Weibo Post, recorded on March 17, 2025
Similar posts also emerged in X and Douyin after Duterte was arrested in Manila and was transported to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on 12 March (Archived Link).
The 79-year-old is confronted with a crime against the indictment of humanity as a result of his many years of action against narcotic drugs that law groups estimate that tens of thousands mainly killed poor men, often without proof that they were linked to drugs.
Local media that quoted the Filipino police figures reported that more than 50 meetings were performed after the arrest of Duterte, who won around 50,000 protesters (archived here and here).
A AFP journalist in Manila identified the location of the circulating video as a part of Roxas Boulevard in the capital (archived link).
But from March 19, no official report indicates that a meeting against the arrest of Duterte was performed there and attended millions as the false posts claim.
Screenshot -comparison of the Weibo -Post (left) and the corresponding location on Google Maps (right)
A keyword investigation found a corresponding aerial video published by the Manila Public Information Office on January 13, two months before Duterte was arrested (archived link).
“The current situation along Roxas Boulevard and the surrounding areas of Quirino Grandstand and Rizal Park from 11 a.m. today, January 13, for the 'National Rally for Peace' of the Iglesia Ni Cristo,” is the caption.
Screenshot -comparison of the WeIBO Post (left, center) and images of the Manila Public Information Office (right) with agreements marked by AFP
More than a million members of the influential religious sect Iglesia Ni Cristo gathered in Manila on January 13, AFP reported (archived link).
They were against steps to fire the daughter of Duterte, vice -president Sara Duterte.
Cups with white shirts flowed to the Quirino stand from Manila for the rally. Schools, government offices and large roads were closed for the event.
AFP has invalidated other wrong information that was fueled by the arrest of Duterte here, here and here.
