FACT CHECK: No ICC admission of being ‘paid’ by Marcos gov’t in Duterte case
Claim: The International Criminal Court (ICC) admitted to being paid by the Marcos administration as part of a plan against former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube video uploaded by channel “BANAT KABAYAN TV” was titled “Hala! OMG! Kasabwat pala? Plano ni Marcos at ICC, nabulabog? Grabe ICC, umamin bayad wasak na?”
(Hala! OMG! They’re conspirators? Marcos and ICC’s plan exposed? Wow, ICC admitted to being paid, destroyed?)
Its thumbnail reads “Plano ng ICC, nabulabog! ICC, umamin bayad utos BBM?” (ICC’s plan exposed! ICC admitted being paid, ordered by BBM?), with the additional text “Nabuking sabwatan!” (Conspiracy exposed!)
As of writing, the video has garnered over 3,800 views and 288 likes.
The facts: There is no statement, document, or testimony from the ICC, the Philippine government, or any credible news outlet showing that the court admitted to receiving payments from the Marcos administration or that it supposedly acted on Marcos’ orders in its investigation of Duterte.
The video points to the Philippine government’s actions as evidence of an alleged alignment with the ICC. However, it provides no evidence of alleged payments or secret coordination. Instead, it discusses the ICC’s general funding, which comes from contributions by its member states.
While Philippine authorities facilitated Duterte’s arrest and transfer to the ICC in March 2025, Marcos asserted that it was in compliance with the country’s commitment to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) — not as a scheme coordinated with the ICC.
The misleading video’s thumbnail also features former ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, whose involvement in Duterte’s case had already ended before the video was posted. Khan stepped aside from his duties in May 2025 pending an investigation and was withdrawn from the Duterte case in October 2025 over a conflict of interest. He was subsequently removed as ICC prosecutor due to sexual misconduct allegations.
No collusion with Marcos: The ICC has repeatedly rejected allegations that it was acting on behalf of the Marcos administration. Responding to Vice President Sara Duterte’s description of the tribunal as Marcos’ “lapdog,” ICC spokesperson Oriane Maillet told the Inquirer that the court operates independently and impartially under the Rome Statute.
In a separate interview, ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah likewise stressed that the court is a judicial, not political, institution, saying its judges make decisions independently.
“These judges will only deliver justice. They don’t take any political considerations into account when they are deliberating about important judicial matters,” he said.
The ICC’s case against Duterte: Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity before the ICC, stemming from the alleged killings linked to the Philippine government’s bloody drug war during his presidency and his earlier tenure as Davao City mayor. The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I unanimously confirmed the charges.
Although the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019, the ICC retains jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed while the country was a member, covering the period from November 2011 to March 2019.
Duterte remains in ICC custody in The Hague. His case has since moved to the Trial Chamber, with the trial scheduled to open in November 2026. – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com
Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated with a degree in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024.
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