[DECODED] As Duterte faces ICC, supporters discredit drug war victims in coordinated Facebook posts
The posts surge during the ICC pre-trial hearings
Rappler
Rappler is the Philippines' leading digital media company that's driven by uncompromising journalism, enabled by technology, and enriched by communities of action.
Featured Writers
Christa Escudero
Hi! I'm Christa. Writing is my passion and profession. As a content specialist in the Philippines, I've written, edited, and conceptualized content that markets brands, forwards advocacies, and tells stories.
View Portfolio
anggardevi
Former editor of environmental news media. Working remotely in Jakarta-based digital media as SEO Editor. She found interest in environmental, social, and public health issues.
View Portfolio
Rambo Talabong | Journalist
Rambo Talabong is an award-winning journalist with seven years of experience covering disinformation, social movements, and crime in the Philippines. He led the coverage of the Duterte drug war by …
View Portfolio
Roshni Kapur
Roshni Kapur is a Programme Manager at the Rule of Law Asia Programme, Konrad-Adenaeur-Stiftung and PhD student at the University of Ghent. She specialises in political violence, caste, social change, …
View Portfolio
Mia Baquiran
Author. Writer. Editor Writing is my passion and my career. I have been writing for many years on various topics and genres. I am also an author of a children's …
View Portfolio
Latest Articles
Where are we now on the Paris Agreement, a decade after it was adopted?
World leaders convene again for the United Nations Climate Change Conference this November, 10 years after the world adopted the historic Paris Agreement
MAP: Michelin Guide restaurants in the Philippines for 2026
Check out the locations of restaurants that made it to the Philippines’ first-ever list in the Michelin Guide
[DECODED] Suspicious Instagram accounts flood Rappler posts with ‘DuterteEJK’ comments
The storm of comments happens in a single day in the wake of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and departure for The Hague
[DECODED] The ‘smear campaign’ against CSE, anti-adolescent pregnancy bill
The Nerve finds a coordinated, inauthentic effort to spread Project Dalisay’s disinformation narratives about comprehensive sexuality education
Track troubles: Why 11 Palaro athletics records got nullified
Standout student-athletes end up suffering from the substandard distance of the track oval at the Cebu City Sports Center, resulting in the nullification of their 2024 Palarong Pambansa records
Historic debut: Budding national athletes, overseas Filipino students join Palaro
The two new Palarong Pambansa delegates are here to show the Philippine sports community what they're made of
Friendship goals: How these newly-licensed teachers topped a board exam together
Chelsea Tiaga and Dulce Arellano, close friends since college, share many things in common – including the top one spot in the September 2023 licensure exam for elementary teachers
FACT CHECK: Hontiveros not expelled from Senate over ICC probe resolution
Hontiveros remains a member of the 19th Congress. The misleading video showed clips of Senator Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa expressing his dismay over a resolution filed by Hontiveros
FACT CHECK: China has not given up West Philippine Sea claims
China has not said it is ceding its claim over the West Philippine Sea. Talks on ways to ease maritime tensions between the Philippines and China are ongoing.
FACT CHECK: No senator identified as behind alleged leak of executive session information
There are no official reports disclosing the identity of the person behind the alleged information breach. The Senate ethics committee is set to investigate the incident.
FACT CHECK: CPP founder Joma Sison is already dead, contrary to claims
Sison, who founded the Communist Party of the Philippines, died in 2022. The title and thumbnail of the misleading video were merely clickbait.
FACT CHECK: Padilla not expelled from Senate over alleged info leak
Senator Robinhood Padilla remains a member of the 19th Congress. The video falsely implies that he was kicked out for allegedly leaking sensitive information from a closed-door session
The new killing fields in Duterte's drug war
A new region in the Philippines emerges as the killing fields of Duterte's anti-drug campaign.
FACT CHECK: No ICC summons issued to ex-President Duterte
The ICC, as of October 24, has not issued any statements confirming that it summoned Duterte over the drug war investigations
FACT CHECK: No Marcos-Duterte order for Noli de Castro to leave the PH
The supposed order stems from the broadcaster’s comments about the October 5 traffic disruption in Quezon City allegedly involving Vice President Sara Duterte
FACT CHECK: No Marcos order expelling Padilla from Senate
Padilla is still a sitting senator, as seen in the Senate website’s roster of members of the 19th Congress
FACT CHECK: No Marcos-Duterte order for Vice Ganda to leave the country
The false claim stems from the talk show host’s quips on confidential funds, which were interpreted as a reference to the controversies surrounding Vice President Sara Duterte
FACT CHECK: Congress did not remove Sara Duterte as VP
There is no formal complaint filed in Congress that would initiate impeachment proceedings against Sara Duterte
FACT CHECK: DSWD’s P15,000 cash grant only for small rice retailers
Contrary to a video’s claim, the cash assistance from the social welfare department would be given only to small rice retailers affected by the recent imposition of rice price ceilings
It started with a kiss: Implications of Spain football chief’s controversial act
Arguably the biggest FIFA Women’s World Cup of all time is now marred by a single act that lasted just one second, but will be remembered forever in infamy.
FACT CHECK: No Marcos gold account in Indonesia
False claims about the Marcos family’s supposed gold account in Indonesia have resurfaced amid Marcos’ trip to Jakarta for the ASEAN Summit
FACT CHECK: Drag artist Pura Luka Vega is alive
The former 'Drag Den Philippines' contestant is still active on social media as of September 5. There are no official news reports about any death.
FACT CHECK: Contrary to claims, Russian mercenary Prigozhin is dead
Prigozhin, chief of the Wagner mercenary group, was among the 10 people killed in a plane crash on August 23
Meet Sam ‘Nemesis’ Rivera: Cebu’s krump star
Whether or not she brings home the crown, Sam 'Nemesis' Rivera says she’ll ‘still keep on dancing’ and ‘push the movement’ of krumping in Cebu.
FACT CHECK: No plans to rename the Philippines
There are currently no bills in either house of Congress seeking to rename the country after a biblical place
Tallest, talented Gilas Pilipinas ready for FIBA World Cup show
Take a look at Gilas Pilipinas' final 12-man roster and what each player brings to the table for the FIBA World Cup.
FACT CHECK: No PH version of NATO formed
There are no official announcements or reports about any supposed Philippine plan to establish a security alliance similar to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
FACT CHECK: No promise from Germany to defend PH against China
Trade and economic relations were discussed by Marcos and German envoy Andreas Michael Pfaffernoschke
FACT CHECK: No orders from Marcos expelling Chinese envoy to PH
Marcos did not make any official pronouncements about expelling Huang Xilian, China’s top diplomat in Manila, over the water cannon incident last August 5