Duterte supporters 'embarrass' Phl for attacking ICC judge Motoc

An administration lawmaker on Tuesday branded supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte as a “national embarrassment” for harassing and spouting false information about a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC), overseeing the erstwhile leader’s case on alleged crimes against humanity.

House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega expressed concern about the alarming spread of disinformation allegedly propagated by pro-Duterte supporters, stressing that even the international tribunal and Pre-Trial Chamber-I Presiding Judge Iulia Motoc had become a target of hate speech.

“The sheer volume of disinformation is not just disturbing—it’s humiliating. It has reached the point where even the ICC, an international tribunal, is being caught up in lies. We are embarrassing ourselves in front of the entire world," the La Union solon lamented.

Following the arrest of Duterte last week, there has been an upsurge in disinformation and hate speech online. Social media users who appeared to be supportive of Duterte spammed Motoc’s Facebook page as well as her LinkedIn, with some calling her names and accusing her of being biased.

Some pro-Duterte supporters also questioned the ICC’s jurisdiction over Duterte’s case, citing the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute, which established the international tribunal, in March 2019.

Motoc has been the subject of ridicule by Duterte supporters after presiding over the former president’s pre-trial on Friday night (Manila time). She has been mocked for her lack of English proficiency and has been accused of having close ties with the Marcos family.

However, according to ICC Assistant to Counsel Kristina Conti, this may backfire on the former president “if these attacks could be traced back to him,” which is punishable under Article 70 of the Rome Statute.

"If you intimidate an official of the court for the purpose of... forcing or persuading the official not to perform or to perform improperly his or her duties, Duterte could have additional charges,” she said.

Rise Up for Life and for Rights, a group advocating for justice on behalf of the families of drug war victims, had urged the ICC to deny a potential petition for the interim release of Duterte. The coalition believes that keeping Duterte in the ICC detention is necessary to ensure that he will not pose a danger or threat to the victims and witnesses of his notorious drug war.

The ongoing attacks on Motoc, Ortega stressed, only show how far disinformation networks will go to distort reality and discredit legal proceedings.

“They’re fabricating stories, questioning credibility, and spreading outright lies just to muddy the waters,” he added.

Moreover, he denounced the proliferation of fake quote cards falsely attributing statements to global figures, including United States President Donald Trump and even fictional character Saul Goodman from the hit American TV crime drama “Breaking Bad.”

“These fabricated narratives are meant to stir chaos and cast doubt on legal proceedings. It’s alarming that some people are so desperate to twist reality that they’ll even invent quotes from fictional characters,” he argued.