FACT CHECK: Private plane shown in video not for Duterte’s return to PH

Claim: The plane shown in a video will be used to take Rodrigo Duterte from The Hague, Netherlands back to the Philippines. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The video, posted on December 4, has already received 676,000 views, 22,000 reactions, 1,800 comments, and 1,100 shares as of writing. The text on the video says, “Yes sa Pinas na magpapasko si Tatay (Yes, Tatay will celebrate Christmas in the Philippines).” 

It also added, “Kasama ni Inday ang mga kapatid. Ready na ang private plane! Bantay sarado ng bodyguard! (Inday is with her siblings. The private plane is ready! It is guarded by bodyguards).”

The 12-second video shows a private plane preparing to park and being assisted by a smaller vehicle for maneuvering on the ground. Some Facebook users believed that the plane was indeed being prepared for Duterte’s return. 

One wrote, “Sana totoo na kung ganun, thank you Lord!..pinag bigyan mo ang wish ni PRRD at dininig mo ang prayers ng mamamayan pilipino (I hope it’s true then. Thank you, Lord! You granted PRRD’s wish and heard the prayers of the Filipino people).”

The facts: No credible reports show that Duterte is set to return to the Philippines using the private plane in the video. A reverse image search also shows no similar posts or videos from any credible sources that can support the said claim. 

The International Criminal Court (ICC) appeals chamber had recently denied Duterte’s request for interim release. The decision also blurs Duterte’s chance of celebrating Christmas in the Philippines, contrary to the post’s claim. 

Interim release: The five-person appeals chamber ruled on November 28 that the grounds presented by the Duterte camp “were not sufficiently set out in the case at hand.” 

Duterte’s defense counsel cited his age and health as the basis of his interim release. However, the ICC argued that the risks of Duterte’s temporary freedom, such as evading the case, recommitting the same crimes the detainee is accused of, and jeopardizing the investigation, could not be mitigated by the proposed conditions. 

The Duterte camp had previously filed an interim release appeal with the ICC pre-trial chamber but it was also rejected in October. 

ICC detention: Duterte was arrested on March 11 upon his return from Hong Kong. He was then sent to the ICC detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands to face trial and charges of crimes against humanity following his administration’s war on drugs. 

Human Rights watchdogs reported that almost 30,000 individuals, including children, were victims of extrajudicial killings. 

Previous fact checks: Rappler had debunked similar claims about Duterte’s detention and interim release: 

• FACT CHECK: ICC did not reverse decision rejecting Duterte’s interim release 
• FACT CHECK: Duterte not found unconscious in ICC detention center 
• FACT CHECK: Duterte not released, post uses old video with actress Giselle Sanchez 
• FACT CHECK: Duterte still detained, not granted interim release 
• FACT CHECK: Duterte still detained, video misrepresents PH position on interim release 

– 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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