FACT CHECK: ‘Rappler’ news graphic claiming Duterte standee spotted at world summit is fake

Claim: According to a social media graphic, a standee of former president Rodrigo Duterte was spotted at the Former World Leader Summit in the Republic of Biringan. 

Rating: FALSE 

Why we fact-checked this: The post, uploaded on April 30, has already received 21,800 reactions, 3,300 comments, and 652 shares as of writing. 

The graphic mimics Rappler’s social media card, using the same color scheme and formatting. Instead of the Rappler “R” logo, however, it uses the letter “G.”

Text on the graphic reads, “FPRRD standee spotted at the Former World Leader Summit in the Republic of Biringan,” above the byline “Arturo Satire Jr.” 

An excerpt from the caption’s post reads, “The presence of the standee served as a powerful tribute to the former leader’s enduring influence, as it stood alongside representations of other global heavyweights in what many are calling the most ‘unforgettable’ summit of the year.” 

Some social media users believed the claim, saying, “Talagang nirespeto kahit leader ng ibang bansa nakaka proud maging [Pilipino] kung may leader na ganito.”

(He is truly respected even by leaders of other countries. It makes me proud to be a Filipino if we have a leader like him.) 

The facts: The social media card is fake. While the post included the hashtag #satire and was posted by an account that describes itself as a satirical page, the image mimics Rappler’s graphics style to mislead other users. Some expressed confusion, with one commenter writing, “I thought Rappler posted it.” 

Rappler did not publish any article with the same headline as the one in the false post. (READ: SATIRE VS FAKE NEWS: Can you tell the difference?)

The photo used in the post, of a supposed Duterte standee placed alongside world leaders, was previously debunked in 2025 by Rappler and AFP Fact-check. These posts falsely claimed that world leaders gathered in The Hague, Netherlands, supposedly to push for Duterte’s release from International Criminal Court (ICC) detention. 

A reverse image search shows the photo used in the misleading post was originally taken in June 2025, in a social dinner during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in The Hague, Netherlands. 

Similar photos were republished by media organizations such as GMA News, crediting Haiyun Jiang via Reuters. 

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon posted the same photo on his social media account on June 25, 2025. None of the photos shows Duterte’s standee at the summit. 

NATO summit: According to the NATO website, the summit was held as an avenue for NATO leaders to address a variety of issues, particularly on deterrence and defence, to ensure that the alliance has the resources, forces, and capabilities to face any threat. 

Leaders from the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, France, and Germany were among the participants of the summit. 

Duterte detention: The fake social media card was posted amid Duterte’s ongoing case in the ICC. Duterte’s case will proceed to trial after the ICC confirmed on April 23 the charges filed against the former president.

Duterte was arrested in March 2025 to face charges of crimes against humanity for his administration’s war on drugs that killed over 30,000 individuals, according to human rights groups. 

Previous fact-checks: Rappler has previously fact-checked similar false claims about Duterte’s detention:

• FACT CHECK: World leaders didn’t meet in The Hague to seek Duterte release
• FACT CHECK: Locsin did not testify at ICC; no release order for Duterte 
• FACT CHECK: No ICC ruling ordering Duterte’s release or Marcos’ imprisonment 

– 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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