FACT CHECK: Quote card on Duterte arrest cites fictional lawyer Elle Woods

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Since Duterte’s arrest, fake quote cards attributed to popular fictional characters have circulated online

Claim: Elle Woods, a lawyer from Harvard Law School, said the following statement in a quote card circulating online:

“The ICC just made a grave mistake. The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019, meaning this arrest is illegal — a blatant violation of Philippines’ sovereignty and the rule of law. This isn’t justice; it’s political persecution.”

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The TikTok post containing the claim has 30,800 views, 1,001 shares, and 181 reactions as of writing.

Text superimposed on the quote card reads: “Thank you Atty. Elle Woods!!! #bringbackprrdourpresident”

The post surfaced following Duterte’s arrest on March 11 through a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). He faces crimes against humanity charges linked to his war on drugs. 

The facts: Elle Woods is a fictional character from the Legally Blonde franchise, which includes the novel, film, and musical adaptations. The photo on the quote card shows American actress Reese Witherspoon who originally played the character. There is no NBC News statement or quote card attributing the supposed remarks to Woods.

Arrest legitimacy: The quote card mentions the repeatedly debunked claim that the ICC no longer has jurisdiction over the drug war cases because of the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC in 2019. (READ: [The Slingshot] The persistent lie that ICC has no jurisdiction)

On its official website, the ICC asserted that it still “retains jurisdiction with respect to alleged crimes that occurred on the territory of the Philippines while it was a State Party, from 1 November 2011 up to and including 16 March 2019.” (READ: EXPLAINER: What you need to know about ICC’s jurisdiction over Duterte)

Although the country is no longer a state party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC, the Philippines has a legal responsibility with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), through which the ICC coursed its request to arrest Duterte.

“The execution of the ICC warrant of arrest, which was received by the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime (PCTC) from Interpol, followed established protocols to ensure due process and the protection of the former President’s rights,” the Department of Justice said on March 12.

Duterte is currently detained inside the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, Netherlands. He faced the ICC for the first time on March 14. The former president is set to appear again before the ICC on September 23 for the confirmation of charges hearing. (LIVE UPDATES: Rodrigo Duterte arrested over ICC case)

Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections affirmed that Duterte is still a candidate for Davao City mayor as the law says that there must be a final judgment of conviction to be removed from the race. (READ: Rodrigo Duterte still in the running for Davao mayor – Comelec)

Rappler has already published several fact-checks disputing dubious quote cards related to Duterte’s ICC arrest:

• FACT CHECK: Quote cards of Trump’s statements on Duterte arrest are fake
• FACT CHECK: Fake quote cards expressing support for Duterte cite fictional characters
• FACT CHECK: Vice Ganda quote card on Duterte drug war, pandemic response is fake

– Sean Guevarra/Rappler.com

Sean Guevarra is a Rappler intern. He is a senior BS Development Communication student at the University of the Philippines Los Baños and the news editor for Tanglaw, the student publication of UPLB College of Development Communication.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.