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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
Despite attempts to set a Guinness World Record for the detained former president's birthday celebration, no official record has been set, contrary to claims
Claim: Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s 80th birthday celebration set a Guinness World Record by gathering 50 million supporters worldwide.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The TikTok video containing the claim has 122,400 views, 25,600 likes, 749 shares, and 1,156 comments as of writing.
Text in the video states: “Tatay Digong, Guinness World Record [for] most 50 million supporters all over the world.”
Numerous posts carrying the same claim have circulated on social media, with one of the top comments saying: “The first man in human history [whose] birthday has been celebrated by the whole world, by hundreds of millions of people, if not billions. He surpassed all elites and royal families in the world. The ravenous bird Duterte — a nameless bird, not an eagle, nor a vulture, nor a phoenix, nor a hawk, but just a nameless bird greater than anyone in the world.”
Comments on the post also praised Duterte, with some saying the supposed achievement would go down in history.
The facts: In a press conference on March 27, former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Duterte supporters were aiming to set a Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous gathering of people celebrating the detained former president’s 80th birthday on March 28.
Guinness requires formal applications, evidence, and verification to validate record attempts. Contrary to claims made in the TikTok video and similar posts, no such record had been set.
Furthermore, there is no Guinness World Records category for “most million supporters,” as suggested by an image of a certificate shown in the TikTok video. Duterte is not listed in any category of the Guinness World Record‘s public database.
The TikTok post simply features an AI-generated image of a billboard displaying Duterte’s face and images of people wearing green shirts with the superimposed text. It offers no evidence or reliable sources to support this claim.
Birthday behind bars: Duterte marked his 80th birthday on March 28 inside a detention center in The Hague. He was arrested on March 11 through a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over charges of crimes against humanity tied to the bloody drug war he spearheaded as both Davao City mayor and later as president of the Philippines. (READ: TIMELINE: The International Criminal Court and Duterte’s bloody war on drugs)
The prayer rallies calling for Duterte’s release were held in over 150 locations worldwide, including a massive rally in Davao City and a gathering in The Hague, Netherlands, where supporters from Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, the UK, Finland, Sweden, and the UAE flocked in support of Duterte.
Despite the gravity of the charges against him, Duterte was described as being “in high spirits” during his time in detention. He received personal items from his family and was visited by his eldest daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, his common-law partner Honeylet Avanceña, and their daughter, Veronica.
Duterte in ICC custody: Duterte is the first Philippine president and the first Asian former head of state to be indicted by the ICC. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for September 23 to determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed with a full trial.
If the ICC judges commit his case to trial, Duterte could remain detained for four to seven years, as seen in similar past ICC cases. If convicted, he could face a sentence of life imprisonment, the ICC’s maximum penalty. While he can apply for interim release, international law practitioners say it is unlikely that the ICC would grant this due to the conditions for an interim release. (READ: How long will Duterte stay detained at the ICC?) – Marjuice Destinado/Rappler.com
Marjuice Destinado is a Rappler intern. She is also a fact-checker and researcher-writer at Explained PH. A third-year political science student at Cebu Normal University (CNU), she serves as the feature editor of Ang Suga, CNU’s official student publication.
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