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Claim: Former president Rodrigo Duterte received the United States’ International Anti-Corruption Award.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The TikTok video containing the claim has 278,400 views, 33,700 likes, 444 shares, and 2,137 comments as of writing.
Text in the video states: “Congrats, Tay (father) — my best president!” along with an image of Duterte in what appears to be a social media art card used by news organizations. The image identifies the former president as a “US International Anti-Corruption Awardee” and includes the text “CDN Strical.”
The facts: Duterte did not receive the “US International Anti-Corruption Award.” The post may be referring to the Anti-Corruption Champions Award, launched by the US State Department in 2021 to honor individuals who fight corruption and promote transparency. Contrary to the claim, however, Duterte has never been included in the list of awardees.
A search through official US government sources confirms that the only Filipino who was given this award is Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto in 2021. The 2023 and 2024 honorees include journalists, activists, and public officials from various countries, but Duterte is not among them.
The misleading post revived an old claim made in 2021, which uses the same art card. It circulated again on social media following the “indignation rally” in Mandaue City, Cebu, last February 22, where Duterte endorsed his senatorial candidates and criticized the Marcos administration.
The “CDN Strical” text in the graphic appears to be a play on the logo of Cebu Daily News. The image seems to have been posted as satire, but comments on the post indicate that some users believe the claim, with one of the top comments stating: “Only in PRRD’s (President Rodrigo R. Duterte) time — drug addicts, pushers, oligarchs, NPAs & corrupt officials learned the word ‘fear.’ Only in PRRD’s time, people felt heard, safe & secure. PRRD earned that trust & respect.” (READ: SATIRE VS FAKE NEWS: Can you tell the difference?)
Duterte’s global award for corruption: Instead of being recognized for anti-corruption efforts, Duterte was actually named “Person of the Year” in 2017 by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) — an award that recognizes individuals who have contributed the most to organized crime and corruption, not those who fight against it. (READ: Drug war earns Duterte ‘Person of the Year’ title from U.S. nonprofit)
According to Drew Sullivan, editor of OCCRP, Duterte had “made a mockery of the rule of law” and “empowered corruption in an innovative way.” Under his administration, death squads allegedly targeted criminals but were “less discriminating,” creating what Sullivan described as a “bully-run system of survival of the fiercest.”
Duterte was chosen over two African strongmen — former South African President Jacob Zuma and Zimbabwe’s ousted leader Robert Mugabe — due to the extreme violence and human rights abuses under his leadership. Sullivan said Duterte’s administration left the Philippines “more corrupt, more cruel, and less democratic.” – Marjuice Destinado/Rappler.com
Marjuice Destinado is a Rappler intern. She is a third-year political science student at Cebu Normal University (CNU), serving as feature editor of Ang Suga, CNU’s official student publication.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
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