SC to go after spreaders of fake news that it issued TRO in Duterte arrest

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday said it will investigate and impose sanctions against individuals who falsely claimed that it issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a statement, SC spokesperson Camille Ting said the court will also investigate social media posts claiming that it announced the receipt of a petition seeking the resignation of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

“These acts of disinformation, including previous false reports on March 11, 2025, alleging that the SC issued a TRO, will be submitted for appropriate action,” Ting said.

“The SC will investigate these incidents and take necessary measures, including the imposition of proper sanctions on those responsible,” she added.

On March 11, the day of his arrest, Duterte and Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa filed a petition asking the SC to direct the government to release the former president from detention.

They also asked the court to issue a TRO restraining the government from cooperation with the International Criminal Court following the former’s arrest.

Before the former president could be flown to The Hague, Netherlands that night, social media posts claimed that the SC granted the request and issued a TRO. The high court denied this.

“We urge the public to rely on official announcements from the SC, which are published on its official website (sc.judiciary.gov.ph) and verified social media accounts,” Ting said.

“We also caution against sharing unverified information and encourage the public to verify the authenticity of any statement claiming to be from the SC before disseminating it,” it added.

Meanwhile, the SC branded as fake a spurious press release that stated that it received a petition calling it to act on 16 million signatures for Marcos’ resignation

Ting said that two Facebook accounts also claimed in Facebook posts that the SC En Banc will convene today to discuss the petition.

“This is completely untrue. The Supreme Court has not received any such petition, and no En Banc session is scheduled today for this matter,” she said. — BM, GMA Integrated News