FACT-CHECK: Rodrigo Duterte did not apologize to President Marcos Jr.

CLAIM: Former president Rodrigo Duterte apologized and pleaded to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to let him return to the Philippines.

RATING: FALSE

A fake quote card has gained traction on Facebook, falsely claiming that former president Rodrigo Duterte had apologized to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and pleaded to be allowed to return home.

Flagged content: A screenshot of a quote card from TikTok was uploaded on Jan. 22, with the caption falsely claiming that this was an emotional statement made by the former president. 

• The quote card mimicked the layout used by Bilyonaryo News Channel on its social media channels, increasing its potential to mislead the audience.
• The text on the photo reads, “Patawarin niyo na ako. Palayaan niyo na ako. Pangulong Bongbong Marcos, i-uwi niyo na ako sa Pilipinas, parang awa niyo na. Hayaan niyo na akong mamahinga sa Pilipinas.” (“Please forgive me. Please let me go. President Bongbong Marcos, take me back to the Philippines, I beg of you. Let me retire in the Philippines.”)
• The background also features an image of Duterte with long hair and dressed in hospital scrubs, which was confirmed by multiple detection tools to be AI-generated.
  • Undetectable.AI and ZeroGPT found a 91% likelihood of AI manipulation.
  • Likewise, FakeImageDetector.com concluded that the image looks “computer generated or modified.”

Our debunk: Duterte made no apologies in his request for interim release and indefinite adjournment of the International Criminal Court’s hearings of his case.

• Duterte has not been seen nor has he spoken directly to the media since his initial appearance before the ICC on March 14, 2025.
• The ICC has approved his request to skip his confirmation of charges hearings held Feb. 23-27, prolonging his absence from the public eye.
• As of writing, the ICC has not released any photo of Duterte inside his cell.

Rewind: Duterte has been under the custody of the ICC since March 12, 2025. 

• His defense filed his first interim release request on June 12, 2025 which was denied by the court on Sept. 26. 

Why we fact-checked this: As of writing, the Facebook post has drawn over 17,000 likes and 450 shares.

• Facebook user “NARDZ TV51” has over 60,000 followers. 
• TikTok account “Metropolitan News Channel,” which also posted the fake quote card, has over 6,000 followers.
• The TikTok post has drawn over 66,000 views.

Spot the fake: Stay vigilant against suspicious and inflammatory posts.

• Check with official websites and reputable news outlets to confirm the facts. Khloe Lim

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