How a Filipino Reporter Exposed Disinformation Networks Defending an Ex-President After His Arrest

Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in 2025 and flown to the International Criminal Court .

He is accused of criminal responsibility for the murder of at least 43 people between 2011 and 2019 as part of his so-called “war on drugs” After taking oath as president in June 2016 , he vowed to wage a war on the country’s illegal drug problem.

Reporter Cristina Chi discovered at least 200 different Facebook accounts and pages posting identical messages framing his arrest as “kidnapping” and an “illegal detention”.

Philstar.com has exposed and uncovered influence operations related to the South China Sea .

Philstar says the impact would be most serious for those who are “on the fence” on Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte .

PhilStar.com: We have seen evidence that pro- China or Chinese state media are involved in spreading pro-Duterte narratives.

Raksha Kumar is a freelance journalist based in India , whose reporting focuses on human rights, land, and forest rights.

She has reported for outlets such as The New York Times , the BBC , the Guardian , TIME , and the South China Morning Post .

Her goal is to produce reports that other people can replicate for themselves.