Fact check: Vice Ganda did not post about Duterte’s arrest

MANILA, Philippines — Host-comedian Vice Ganda has not made any official post or statement regarding the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court.

This comes as a viral post falsely claims that the "It's Showtime" host posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying that Duterte played a pivotal role in the so-called "war on drugs" and the COVID-19 pandemic during his term.

A quote card featuring a photo of Vice Ganda crying has been circulating on social media platforms, including Facebook and TikTok, claiming that the host said:

Ayaw kong magpaka-hipokrito ha, aminan natin nung time ni FPRRD, karamihan ng adik nagbagong buhay, karamihan sa kriminal nag-uunahang sumuko, dahil sa takot kay Duterte.

Confident kayong lumabas sa gabi dahil alam niyong yung mga kriminal at masasamang loob nabawasan na.

Kung hindi si Duterte yung namuno ng pandemic, lahat tayo, patay. Lahat ng pondo ng gobyerno ginamit ni Duterte maitawid lang tayo sa pandemic.

RATING: This is fake. 

Facts

While Vice has been an outspoken critic of the past two administrations, they have not released any opinion on Duterte’s arrest.

The circulating social card attributes the quote to the username @viceganda, but Vice’s actual X handle is @vicegandako.

Vice themselves have denied the quote card’s authenticity, stating on their X account, "I never stated this. Please report."

I never stated this. Pls report. https://t.co/0xYEuGbPqv

— jose marie viceral (@vicegandako) March 11, 2025

"Huwag paniwalaan ang kumakalat na pahayag na ito! Wala po akong inilabas o sinabi na ganitong statement. Maging mapanuri at huwag basta maniwala sa impormasyong walang malinaw o opisyal na pinagmulan. Please report!" Vice said on Facebook.

(Do not believe this circulating statement! I did not release or say anything like this. Be critical and do not easily believe information without a clear or official source. Please report!)

The original post appears to be from the Facebook page Blah blah which has 206,000 followers and 27,000 likes. As of writing, the post is no longer on the page's feed.

Why we fact-checked this

Screenshots of the quote card have been posted elsewhere like Facebook page Toristang Trabahante which has 7,500 followers and 2,000 likes, as well as TikTok user carriel9130 who has over 1,500 and 96,000 followers.

The TikTok post is still up and has accummulated almost 43,000 likes, 2,300 saves, 1,500 shares and over 800 comments.

Duterte was arrested by the Philippine National Police on the morning of March 11, shortly after returning from Hong Kong, where he spoke at a campaign rally for overseas Filipino workers.

Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon served the arrest warrant just before Duterte stepped off the plane, according to the Presidential Communications Office.

About 12 hours after his arrest, Duterte left the Philippines on a chartered flight to The Hague, Netherlands.