FACT CHECK: Photos of Duterte at airport are fake, AI-generated

Claim: Former president Rodrigo Duterte is back home and has been seen at the airport with his former lead defense counsel, Nicholas Kaufman.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post bearing the claim was posted on June 1 and has since garnered over 1,070 reactions, 130 comments, and 160 shares. The post’s caption reads, “Welcome home, Tatay Digong” (Welcome home, Father Digong).

The claim was posted by a Facebook content creator named “Dexter Quipanaes,” who has over 6,300 followers and consistently posts content related to social and government issues in the Philippines.

A similar post on Threads shows video screenshots of Duterte in a wheelchair, assisted by Kaufman. The post was also made on June 1 and has garnered over 10 reactions, 40 comments, and 2 shares.

A reverse image search of the screenshots from the Threads post revealed a similar TikTok video uploaded by user “ryansweet7” that shows the full clip along with the caption, “Sana nga marami na naghihintay [sa’yo] Tatay Digong.”

(I hope there are many waiting for you, Father Digong). 

The TikTok video, posted on June 4, has over 1,770 views, 50 reactions, 2 comments, and 6 saves as of writing.

The facts: DeCopy’s artificial intelligence (AI) image analysis, an online tool that flags AI-generated content, shows that the image accompanying the claim has a 96% probability of being AI-generated. 

The TikTok video also has a Meta AI watermark visible in the first few seconds, which is then no longer visible at the point where Kaufman is shown hugging Duterte. (READ: [DECODED] What makes AI-generated Duterte statues so popular online?)

Contrary to the claim, Duterte is still detained in The Hague, under the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Active case: Duterte’s case remains active following his latest status conference held on May 27. He is facing three counts of crimes against humanity over his war on drugs, which is linked to over 30,000 deaths from 2011 to 2019, based on tallies by human rights groups.  

Duterte was arrested on March 11, 2025, and was brought to The Hague on May 12, 2025. He has not been released since, despite his attempts to seek an interim release. (READ: TIMELINE: The road to Duterte’s trial at the International Criminal Court)

Duterte is set to appear for his ICC trial on November 30. Unlike previous hearings where he waived his right to appear physically, he will be required to attend the trial in person.

New counsel: Kaufman is no longer Duterte’s defense counsel. He requested to withdraw from the case on May 8, a request the court granted on May 11. He has been replaced by international criminal and humanitarian law expert Peter Haynes.

There are no reports from any credible media or government authorities of Kaufman traveling to the Philippines with Duterte. 

Debunked: Rappler has previously debunked similar claims regarding Duterte’s return to the Philippines, his ICC case, and his defense counsel:

• FACT CHECK: Rodrigo Duterte is alive, still detained at the ICC 
• FACT CHECK: ICC judge did not say Duterte was ‘kidnapped’ 
• FACT CHECK: Ex-president Duterte is alive, in ICC custody
• FACT CHECK: Viral posts name fictional characters as Duterte’s ‘new’ ICC lawyers
• FACT CHECK: Fake quote cards expressing support for Duterte cite fictional characters

– Reinnard Balonzo/Rappler.com 

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