FACT CHECK: Quote card about Duterte’s health cites fake doctor

Claim: Steven Wolfe, the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s chief medical officer, recommends the release of former president Rodrigo Duterte for humanitarian and medical reasons.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A Facebook page named “Duterte Supporter Daily News,” with over 1,100 followers, posted the quote card on December 3. The graphic contains the logos and names of the ICC and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as photos of Duterte and Wolfe. As of writing, the post has garnered 30,000 reactions, 4,700 comments, and 13,000 shares.

In the post, Wolfe supposedly said that he examined the former president and confirmed that he is experiencing “advanced symptoms of Ligma Degenerative Syndrome (LDS),” and that his detention allegedly poses serious medical risks. Wolfe allegedly recommended releasing Duterte from detention to spend Christmas in Davao with his family, which could help stabilize his health.

Many social media users commented on these posts, thanking Wolfe for his supposed diagnosis and recommendation. One user wrote, “Thanks doctor for your humanitarian support to our past president.” Another commented, “Napakawalang puso naman ng ICC (ICC would be so heartless) if they ignore this. They said they are on the side of human rights then they treat [President Rodrigo Roa Duterte] inhumanely.”

The facts: The quote card is fake. Wolfe is not a medical officer, but an adult film star known for wearing various costumes in his films. A reverse Google Image search of his photo yields an exact match of him wearing a doctor’s outfit, posted on TikTok in 2023 — two years before Duterte’s arrest in 2025.

The graphic merely imitated the formatting styles of quote cards, adding only the names and logos of the WHO and the ICC to falsely claim legitimacy. Furthermore, the page that published it claims to be a Filipino satire page according to its Facebook bio, but did not put this disclaimer in its posts. (READ: SATIRE VS FAKE NEWS: Can you tell the difference?)

Fictitious diagnosis: “LDS” is a non-existent disease. A US-based fact-checking website, Lead Stories, has already debunked claims about the supposed disease. According to its 2022 report, claims about the alleged virus began circulating as an internet hoax in 2018 when “ligma supposedly killed popular Fortnite video game streamer Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins.”

Duterte in the ICC: The fake quote card circulated shortly after the ICC Appeals Chamber denied Duterte’s appeal for an interim release on November 28. The former president remains detained at the ICC, facing three counts of crimes against humanity of murder, one count each per context, representing 49 incidents of killings, with 78 victims of the war on drugs and the Davao Death Squad.

Duterte’s lead defense lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, earlier claimed that the former president has a “deteriorating cognitive condition” that prevents him from recalling several things, therefore rendering him unfit for trial. 

The ICC has been contracting neuropsychiatry experts to determine the veracity of his claim. (READ: Duterte at the ICC: Key dates to remember)

Duterte’s health condition has been a subject of speculation in the past, with rumors about him supposedly being found unconscious in his cell. However, ICC assistant to counsel Kristina Conti said that the ICC had not confirmed these reports coming from the defense, adding that the claims seem to be propaganda.

Debunked: Rappler has previously debunked fake quote cards of famous personalities supposedly expressing support for Duterte:

• FACT CHECK: Fake quote cards expressing support for Duterte cite fictional characters
• FACT CHECK: Quote card on Duterte arrest cites fictional lawyer Elle Woods
• FACT CHECK: Fake ‘Fox News’ quote cards defending Duterte cite fictional characters

– Lyndee Buenagua/Rappler.com

Lyndee Buenagua is a senior student journalist and an alumna of Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024.

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