FACT CHECK: Castro did not call on Duterte clan to quit gov’t posts to reverse ICC ruling

Claim: Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said that if former president Rodrigo Duterte wants to be freed from detention at the International Criminal Court (ICC), the entire Duterte family must resign from their positions in government.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A graphic posted on December 2 shows a split image of Castro and Duterte. Text overlaid on it reads: “Atty. Claire Castro sinabing kung gusto makalaya si Rodrigo Roa Duterte ay kailangan mag resign ng buong pamilyang Duterte sa gobyerno.” 

(Atty. Claire Castro said that for Rodrigo Roa Duterte to be freed, the entire Duterte family needs to resign from government.)

The graphic appeared online shortly after the ICC Appeals Chamber denied Duterte’s appeal for interim release on November 28. 

As of writing, it has garnered 170 reactions, 205 comments, and five shares. 

The facts: Castro never made this statement. There are no records of Castro making any such remarks in official statements, press briefings, or media interviews.

The claim in the graphic appears to have been taken from remarks by ICC Assistant to Counsel Kristina Conti during an interview on November 29 about the ICC’s rejection of the former president’s appeal for interim release. Conti said Duterte’s camp can file another request based on new grounds or developments not included in the original request. 

Conti also suggested that if Vice President Sara Duterte and all Duterte family members in government positions resigned, it might demonstrate that the elder Duterte has diminished influence and no longer has active networks of power, potentially helping his situation.

Duterte at the ICC: The former president is currently detained at the ICC facility in The Hague, Netherlands, facing charges of crimes against humanity related to his administration’s war on drugs. 

The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber initially denied his request for interim release in October, and the Appeals Chamber rejected his recent appeal, keeping him in detention as he awaits trial. (READ: Duterte remains detained, but ‘when will trial start?’ drug war victims ask)

The Dutertes have been vocal in opposing their father’s detention. Vice President Sara Duterte has previously told supporters that her father’s arrest was a “kidnapping” and that she would “break him out,” remarks which were later cited as one of the reasons for the denial of the interim release plea. After the November 28 ruling, she visited her father in The Hague. 

Other family members, including Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte, earlier condemned the ICC’s decision, calling it a “miscarriage of justice.” The family soon released a statement after the failed appeal, stating that they accept it “with peaceful hearts.” – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com

Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024. 

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