Rodrigo Duterte deepfake video — Sep 2026

On September 16, 2026, a viral video surfaced claiming to show former President Rodrigo Duterte addressing his supporters after a personal appearance at the International Criminal Court. The footage featured a synthetic version of the former president asking for prayers for his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, amidst her current political challenges.

What happened

The AI-generated video first appeared on a Facebook page named Edd AI at approximately 7:18 p.m. on September 16, 2026. While the Facebook post included a disclaimer labeling the content as AI-generated, satirical, and utilized relevant hashtags, the video was later shared by a TikTok user at 9:29 p.m. without the same context. The synthetic content featured the digital likeness of Duterte stating: 'Include my daughter Inday in your prayers. Please pray that God gives her the strength, courage and wisdom to overcome all the challenges she is facing.'

This incident occurred on the same day that the former president made his first in-person appearance at the International Criminal Court for the third status conference regarding his case. Although he had previously attended court proceedings via videolink in March 2025, the viral video leveraged the timing of his physical presence at the tribunal to lend false credibility to the AI-synthesized message.