[DECODED] Facebook posts exploit death of young girl to defend Duterte drug war, attack critics

WARNING: This story contains sensitive content.

CEBU, Philippines – The “clones” of former president Rodrigo Duterte — as International Criminal Court (ICC)-accredited counsel Joel Butuyan dubbed them — strike once again on social media, as all eyes are on the ICC in The Hague for the series of pre-trial hearings on the crimes against humanity charges against Duterte. 

Facebook accounts that support the former president — sometimes to the point of coordinated, inauthentic behavior — are nothing new. Countless reports have surfaced online propaganda networks that paved the way to his election in 2016; defended the drug war; attacked journalists and activists; and cultivated a culture of fear, bloodlust, and authoritarianism in the Philippines. These networks still run rampant, spreading disinformation and painting a victim out of Duterte amid his detention at the ICC.

But since last week, Facebook accounts have zeroed in on one topic: the death of a 12-year-old girl in Toledo City, Cebu.

The victim, Grade 6 pupil Crystal Joy Abarquez, was found dead in Barangay Ibo on February 19, more than a week since she was reported missing on February 11, GMA News reported. Abarquez’s body was tied to a tree, nearly skull and bones, with her head dismembered.

The suspect, Abarquez’s second-degree cousin Rowel Villapaña Jr., was arrested on the evening of February 19. He denied the accusations.

Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro, a supporter of the former president, reacted to the incident on Friday afternoon, February 20, and raised speculation that the killing may have been “drug-related.”

When asked to clarify, Cebu Provincial Information Officer Ainjeliz de la Torre-Orong said that the information about the suspect possibly using drugs came from the police. “The info they (police) reported to the governor was they were checking on the possibility that the suspect was on drugs, among other things,” she said in a mix of Cebuano and English in a text interview on Thursday, February 26.

In a phone interview on Wednesday, February 25, Toledo City Police Staff Sergeant Jhunry Lapao, the investigator assigned to Abarquez’s case, said the police plan to subject Villapaña to drug and polygraph tests while they review CCTV footage of the suspect driving a motorcycle with Abarquez to a secluded, mountainous area.

Still, after reports of Abarquez’s death, a series of Facebook posts were found that echoed the same words and messaging: expressing fears after Abarquez’s death, and calling out critics of Duterte’s drug war for their lack of reaction to the incident.

To check the extent of the spread of these posts, data forensics group The Nerve conducted a scan of public Facebook posts and found at least 41 since February 20 — the day the news of Abarquez’s death broke.

• Around 24 of these posts started the same way: “I am speaking as a woman. As a daughter. As a mother” or “I am speaking as a man. As a son. As a father.” Meanwhile, around 17 posts are copied versions of an editorial piece from radio station DYMA in Jagna, Bohol, titled “SA MGA NIHIMO SA EJK MUSEUM, ASA ANG INYONG MGA SINGGIT? (To those who established the EJK museum, where is your outrage?)”
• These posts were published by accounts that support Duterte. They have published other posts in the past resounding sentiments that are straight out of Duterte’s populist playbook.
• The posts have also spread to Facebook groups with members that also support Duterte and his allies.

Shifting the blame to human rights advocates

The first set of posts expressed fear for their safety after the incident, then said: “This is why I understand why many supported the strong anti-drug campaign of former president Rodrigo Duterte.”

“Hindi ko sinasabing perpekto ang lahat ng nangyari noon. Pero malinaw ang pakiramdam ng marami… mas takot ang masasama. Ngayon, parang tayo ang natatakot,” the posts added.

(I’m not saying what happened before was perfect. But what many felt then was clear: it was the bad guys who were scared. It seems it’s us who are scared now.) 

At the end of the posts is an expletive-loaded callout to human rights activists.

Most of these posts attached the same images, too: three photos of Abarquez, and a photo of opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros during the launch of the Lakbay Museo ng Paghilom at the Senate on January 26. The mobile museum, organized by activist-priest Flavie Villanueva’s Project Paghilom, pays tribute to the victims of the drug war.

These posts have been shared at least 30,000 times — with one post alone garnering more than 15,000 shares.

Meanwhile, the second set of posts derived from DYMA’s specifically called out those who established the “EJK museum,” referring to the Lakbay Museo ng Paghilom.

DYMA’s original post garnered more than 1,600 shares.

“Kung dunay mga panghitabo nga may kalabutan kang former [president] Rodrigo Duterte, kusog ang inyong tingog. Pero kung inosenteng dalagita ang gipatay sa kamot sa usa ka adik, kalit nga tak-om ang inyong mga baba. Kini ba ang hustisya sa Pilipinas?” the posts read.

“Kung nasuko ka sa krimen, dapat suko sad ka sa tanang krimen, dili lang sa mga kaso nga pwede nimo gamiton para sa politika o personal nga interes,” they added.

(If things happened that involved former president Rodrigo Duterte, your voices are loud. But when an innocent girl is killed in the hands of an addict, your voices are suddenly silent. Is this justice in the Philippines?…. If you’re against crime, you should be against all crimes, not just cases that you can take advantage of for politics or personal interest.)

Some of the accounts that published these posts have other posts attacking drug war victims and featuring unverified images — including the debunked AI-distorted photo of victims in The Hague.

The accounts that commented on and shared the two duplicated posts, meanwhile, echoed sentiments that are straight out of Duterte’s playbook: instilling fear, promoting a strongman approach to crime, and degrading democratic institutions.

Duterte’s lead counsel at the ICC, Nicholas Kaufman, pulled from the same playbook in his opening statement during the kickoff of the pre-trial hearings on Monday, February 23.

Some of the top-shared posts have spread to political-leaning Facebook, most of which have members who support Duterte, his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte, and his allies.

The posts have also spread to family- and relationship-oriented groups on Facebook.

‘Mini-Dutertes’

The spread of these posts reflected what Butuyan, ICC-appointed common legal representative for victims, expressed during his opening statement at the ICC on Monday.

“The arrest and detention of Mr. Duterte has not stopped impunity in the Philippines. The virus of impunity that he spread all over the country has become a cancer that has metastasized, infecting millions of Filipinos,” Butuyan said.

“Mr. Duterte has created clones of himself. He converted millions of peace-loving citizens into bloodthirsty disciples who have become converts to the belief that violence and killings are valid solutions to societal problems,” he added. 

Butuyan then lamented how, because of these “clones,” victims continue to suffer from the consequences of the drug war.

“These mini-Dutertes harass, threaten, or commit outright violence against the victims and their families,” he said.

Duterte has long enjoyed a strong following — from when he ran for president in 2016, when he set his bloody nationwide drug campaign in motion, even when he was arrested by the ICC for the same campaign in March 2025. 

This following has grown with the help of influence operations, blogger-propagandists, and a social media army that continues to be loyal to him despite his alleged crimes.

This following has also spilled to his embattled daughter Sara, who faces her second batch of impeachment complaints over corruption allegations. She has announced her presidential bid for 2028. – Rappler.com