Duterte hasn’t returned to the Philippines

Former President Rodrigo Duterte isn’t back in the country despite winning the mayoral race in Davao City in the recent midterm elections.

TikTok user @jhaynadz_08, however, recycled an old report in his May 17 video, passing it  off as a recent news update that falsely claimed that Duterte had returned to Davao City. The caption read:

WELCOME BACK TATAY DIGONG🇵🇭👊#latestnews #update #news #welcomeback

The overlaid text also contained the falsehood:

RODRIGO DUTERTE BACK IN DAVAO CITY PHILPPINE 🇵🇭 WELCOME HOME TATAY DIGONG👊

The footage was lifted from a July 1, 2022 segment of ANC’s Rundown newscast, which aired shortly after Duterte returned to Davao City following the inauguration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the succeeding president. The original video remains available on YouTube.

Duterte is detained at the International Criminal Court in The Hague where he awaits trial for crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s deadly anti-drug war. The hearing on confirmation of charges is scheduled to begin on Sept. 23.

As of writing, the TikTok post has gained 971,200 views, 25,400 likes, 1,084 comments, 1,758 bookmarks and 1,056 shares. (KB)