FACT CHECK: ICC did not say evidence vs Duterte is insufficient

Claim: The International Criminal Court (ICC) admitted that the evidence against Rodrigo Duterte is insufficient. 

Rating: FALSE 

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook reel bearing the said claim was posted on June 4. It has already received 610,000 views, 12,700 reactions, 693 shares, and 581 comments as of writing. 

It shows a photo of Duterte, ICC Trial Chamber III Presiding Judge Joanna Korner, and Vice President Sara Duterte. The text on the video reads, “ICC umamin na wala pa silang matibay na ebidensya sa kay ex president Rodrigo Duterte.” (ICC admits they still do not have solid evidence against ex-president Rodrigo Duterte.)

Most of the Facebook users in the comment section believed the false claim that the ICC did say that they do not have sufficient evidence against Duterte. One comment reads, “If that is the case, bring FRRD (sic) home please, we need our tatay to save the entire Philippines.” 

The facts: The ICC did not admit that they do not have sufficient evidence against Duterte. There are no official records from the international tribunal that can support the said statement. 

In fact, the ICC pre-trial chamber confirmed all the charges against Duterte on April 23, saying that “there are substantial grounds to believe that Mr. Duterte is criminally responsible for the crimes charged in Counts 1-3.” 

During the recent status conference on Duterte’s case on May 27, the ICC only set stricter rules on evidence and witnesses after Korner pointed out that the 197 speeches to be used as evidence against Duterte are “too much” and would probably say the same thing. The prosecution then said that they will narrow down the number of speeches. 

Old false claim: The post revives false narratives about the evidence and witnesses against Duterte. 

Last January, months before the confirmation of charges hearing, a Facebook reel falsely claimed that the ICC has no evidence against the former president. However, multiple evidence actually exist, and there are also witnesses who will testify against Duterte. 

Duterte ICC case: Duterte was arrested in March 2025 and was sent to The Hague, Netherlands to face charges of crimes against humanity over his administration’s war on drugs. The extrajudicial killings reportedly resulted in the deaths of over 30,000, according to rights groups.

The trial chamber has set the start of Duterte’s trial on November 30. – 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. 

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.