More disinformation tactics return after Duterte’s arrest: Discrediting the media

MANILA, Philippines – Supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte, after his International Criminal Court arrest, depicted him as a victim, too old and frail to stand trial, and claimed that his detention in The Hague is “kidnapping” despite an ICC warrant.  

These have been some of the key messages that the online pro-Duterte network has been spreading online — a network that has remained active, in support of Vice President Sara Duterte, who faced political controversy and investigations last year, and now, once again in support of the former president. 

While the Supreme Court and the ICC themselves have become the target of fake news, a number of copy-pasted posts online have also surfaced discrediting the media.

The post says: “If you still get your news from GMA, ABS, PTV, TV5, Rappler, INQ, PhilStar: You’re not being informed, You are being manipulated.” 

The media outfits have long been a target by pro-Duterte networks for delivering information that, to them, run counter to the messages they’re pushing, and are accused of being “biased” or of pushing an agenda. 

In the days after Duterte’s arrest, the said post can be seen online being spread by some accounts. A simple Facebook search of the copy-pasted text reveals at least 20 pages and users spreading the same message. 

Some of the posts receive engagement in the tens of thousands, while some receive a few hundred, with the examples below. Names of individuals posting or reacting have been blurred.

Some are met with a majority of “haha” reactions, denoting that the audience that the post reached do not believe the post’s message and are ridiculing it, as shown below:

But as expected, some posts are also met with a thumbs-up approval, showing that there are those who buy into the network’s propaganda that the said news outfits “manipulate” the audience, shown below:

The messaging of the post is simple and straightforward, and appears to merely remind those who are on the pro-Duterte side to stay on Duterte’s propaganda channels, rather than receive information from the targeted news outfits. 

There is no complex messaging as to why these news outfits supposedly can’t be trusted, as years of disinformation have already influenced a percentage of the population to have a distrust for what propaganda networks have branded as “mainstream media.” 

The same exact phrase has also appeared elsewhere. For example, an account from Spain made the post below on X back in February 2025, targeting Western media:

As Duterte’s arrest continues to stir political tension, however, these attacks against the media may also evolve, and are something for the media themselves and the populace to monitor. – Rappler.com