FACT CHECK: Duterte not back in Davao amid confirmation of charges hearing

Claim: Former president Rodrigo Duterte, who has been detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC), has returned to his hometown, Davao City. 

Rating: FALSE 

Why we fact-checked this: The post has already received 5,000 reactions, 1,500 comments, and 269 shares as of writing. It was posted on February 18, coinciding with Duterte’s request to waive his right to attend his scheduled confirmation of charges hearing on September 23 at the ICC.

The post shows a composite photo of Duterte with the text, “Surprise! FPRRD nasa Davao na pala! Yes! Ginulat ang lahat!”

(Surprise! [Former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte] is already in Davao! Yes! Everyone was surprised!)

It also shows another photo of Duterte seated at a dining table with his children, Vice President Sara Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, along with other relatives, to support the claim that the former president is supposedly back in Davao. 

Many Facebook users believed the claim. One commenter wrote, “Best president is in Davao already, Sabi [ng] iba wala raw (The best president is in Davao already. Some say he’s not there).” 

The facts: Duterte is not back in Davao. While the ICC allowed him to skip the confirmation of charges hearing, he is still detained at the ICC detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands. 

The image showing Duterte dining with his relatives was an old photo posted by the Vice President on her personal social media account on February 7, when she announced the passing of her uncle, Benjamin Duterte. 

Nowhere in the post did she indicate that the former president is already back in Davao City. 

Confirmation of charges: In a letter submitted to the ICC pre-trial chamber on February 18, Duterte requested to waive his right to attend his confirmation of charges hearing scheduled to start on February 23, citing his poor health and refusal to recognize the chamber’s jurisdiction. (READ: HIGHLIGHTS: Day 1 of Duterte pre-trial)

The ICC prosecutors opposed Duterte’s plea, citing that he is fit to participate. In a decision issued on February 20, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber 1 judges granted Duterte’s request, but said that the former president’s reasons for skipping the hearing were “speculative” and “irrelevant.” 

The judges allowed Duterte’s absence not due to his health, but on the basis of his waiver.

Originally set for September 2025, Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing had been postponed when Duterte’s counsel argued that the former president was unfit for trial due to his poor health status. 

In a decision released in January, the judges set the confirmation of charges for February 23, after independent medical assessments found that Duterte is fit to participate.

ICC arrest: Duterte was arrested in March 2025 and sent to the ICC detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands, to face charges of crimes against humanity over his administration’s war on drugs. 

According to human rights watchdogs, over 30,000 individuals, including civilians and children, were killed during the campaign. 

Previous fact checks: Rappler has previously debunked similar false claims about Duterte’s ICC detention: 

• FACT CHECK: No ICC ruling allowing Duterte to return to PH wearing location tracker 
• FACT CHECK: No proof of Duterte in ‘critical’ condition 
• FACT CHECK: Duterte did not leave ICC detention for one hour; photo is AI-generated 
• FACT CHECK: Duterte’s ICC case not dismissed; claim of insufficient evidence is false 
• FACT CHECK: ICC prosecution has evidence related to Duterte drug war case
• FACT CHECK: ICC did not authorize Duterte’s release, quote card is fake 

– Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com 

Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024. 

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