Latest news with #SebastianDuterte
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Philippine police chief bests Duterte's son in phantom fight as ‘Baste' flees to Singapore
What was billed as a bruising bout between the Philippines ' police chief and a prominent Duterte heir fizzled into farce on Sunday, as the much-hyped challenger chose exile over engagement, leaving an arena and a nation watching in bemused disbelief. Sebastian 'Baste' Duterte, acting mayor of Davao and youngest son of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte , challenged police chief Nicolas Torre to a fist-fight last week. But on Sunday, as an expectant crowd gathered at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila, it was Torre who stood alone in the ring – his opponent having quietly left the country for Singapore As the referee counted to 10 before the 4,000 or so attendees, Torre was declared the winner by default. The much-anticipated contest was born of the younger Duterte, 37, using his podcast on July 20 to mock Torre, 55 – a long-time target of Duterte family ire – and issue a challenge. Sebastian 'Baste' Dutere, ex-Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's son. Photo: Facebook/CMBasteDuterte 'You're only brave because you have the position. But in a fist-fight, I can take you on. It's that simple,' Duterte snarled, in remarks that quickly went viral. 'You're a coward, you're nothing without your position.'
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Duterte's son challenges Philippine police chief to a fist-fight. ‘Perfect,' says general
Philippine National Police chief General Nicholas Torre III has accepted a challenge to a fist-fight from the son of former president Rodrigo Duterte , proposing that the clash be held this weekend as a charity event to raise funds for typhoon and flood victims. The dramatic exchange, which has captivated Filipinos online, is the latest escalation in an increasingly personal feud between the Duterte family and the country's top police officer. Tensions have simmered since Torre oversaw the March 11 arrest and transfer of former president Duterte to The Hague, where he awaits trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity. But the conflict burst into public view on Sunday when Sebastian 'Baste' Duterte – the acting mayor of Davao City and youngest son of the ex-president – challenged Torre to step down from his post and fight him man-to-man. 'You want to harass me? Go ahead,' the younger Duterte, 37, said during a podcast on Sunday. 'You're only brave because you have the position. But in a fist-fight, I can take you on. It's that simple … You're a coward, you're nothing without your position sa totoo lang (in truth).' Davao City Acting Mayor Sebastian Duterte. Photo: Davao City Government Told about the challenge on Wednesday, the 55-year-old Torre immediately accepted, telling reporters the fight could be put to good use. 'Perfect, there have been many victims of the typhoon and floods. Maybe we can use this opportunity to raise funds in a charity boxing match.'
GMA Network
7 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Duterte backs new DCPO chief despite getting left out of selection process
Davao City Acting Mayor Sebastian Duterte will support the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) even if he was not consulted in the selection of the new city police director. Duterte reiterated that he was not given the opportunity to choose from a shortlist of candidates for the city police director position, a process supposedly granted to local chief executives under the Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998 (RA 8551). Under Section 64 of the said law, mayors are deputized as representatives of the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) within their jurisdictions. 'They won't allow me to choose the city director… nangyari na nga yan last year when I was mayor… the last term when I was mayor,' Duterte said. 'Masyado silang praning… they are scared maybe because these policemen who will be assigned here mga loyalista sa amin and they would not like you know, do dirty work for them,' he added. Despite this, Duterte said he will support the new acting director of DCPO, Col. Mannan Muarip, and his plans for the peace and order in the city, which were discussed during a courtesy call on Monday, July 21, 2025. DCPO has yet to issue a statement regarding Duterte's statements, as of this writing. However, Muarip said earlier that strong cooperation and unity between the local government and the police play an important role in maintaining peace and security in the city.
AFP
18-06-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Philippine politicians share AI-generated interviews supporting VP Duterte
The video -- published on June 14, 2025 on TikTok -- appears to show three students criticising the vice president's impeachment during street interviews. They can be heard saying in Tagalog that the attempt to remove her from office is "politically motivated" and "singling out the vice president". It has been viewed over 590,000 times and has spread elsewhere on the platform. Senator Ronald Dela Rosa -- who served as the Philippines' police chief under former president Rodrigo Duterte -- and Davao City's incoming vice mayor and Sara Duterte's brother, Sebastian Duterte, also shared the clip, saying it shows she has the youth's support. Image Screenshots of the AI-generated video shared by Dela Rosa and Sebastian Duterte, taken on June 16 The House of Representatives passed a resolution on June 11 certifying that the impeachment trial against the vice president complied with the constitution, after days of wrangling in the Senate that had raised fears the trial process was headed for derailment (archived link). The House impeached her in early February on charges of graft, corruption and an alleged assassination plot against one-time ally and former running mate President Ferdinand Marcos. The Philippines' 24 senators will serve as jurors and decide whether she should be removed from office. But the interviews show signs they were made with AI. A closer inspection of the footage shows a "Veo" watermark on the lower right-hand side of the frame -- a video generator platform from Google DeepMind (archived link). The app's website says its latest version allows users to "add sound effects, ambient noise, and even dialogue" to generate audio natively. Image Screenshot of the AI-generated video with the "Veo" watermark highlighted A reverse image search shows the clip was originally published on a Facebook page called Ay Grabe (archived link). A review of the Facebook page shows similar AI-generated video clips bearing the same watermark. The page, which posted content showing support for the Marcos-Duterte tandem in the 2022 presidential vote, describes itself currently as one that "features ideas, opinions, news, stories and events through the use of AI" (archived link). Image Screenshot of the AY GRABE Facebook page and similar AI-generated clips it has published. The video also bears errors commonly seen in AI-generated images. Text on the clothing, vehicles and signage on storefronts shows random letters and characters that do not form an actual word. The hair and teeth of the interviewees look overly smooth. In one shot, vehicles can be seen moving in opposite directions alternately. Image Screenshot of visual details in the AI-generated image highlighted in red by AFP AFP has previously debunked misinformation about Duterte's impeachment here and here.
Arab News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Detained Philippines ex-President Duterte poised to win mayoral race in his home city
Despite his detention thousands of miles away in the International Criminal Court, former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte appeared to have been elected as mayor in his home city by a landslide, according to preliminary results on Tuesday. At least five candidates backed by his family were also among those leading the race for 12 Senate positions, in a stronger-than-expected showing in Monday's midterm elections. Pre-election surveys had indicated only two of them would emerge victorious. The results come as a boost for Duterte's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, ahead of an impeachment trial in the Senate in July over a raft of charges including alleged misuse of public funds and plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife and the House speaker. Sara Duterte is considered a strong contender for the 2028 presidential race. But if convicted by the Senate, she will lose her job and be disqualified from holding public office forever. To be acquitted, she needs at least nine of the 24 senators to vote in her favor. The official election results will be known within a week. But the partial and unofficial count by election watchdog Parish Pastoral Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting showed Duterte garnering more than half a million votes in his stronghold Davao City, nearly eight times more than his closest rival. His youngest son, Sebastian, the incumbent mayor of Davao, is also leading the unofficial vote count in the race for Davao vice mayor. His eldest son, Paolo, who is seeking reelection as a member of the House of Representatives, and two grandsons in local races were also in the lead, in an indication of the family's continued influence. 'Duterte landslide in Davao!' his youngest daughter Veronica posted on Facebook. Duterte, nicknamed 'the Punisher' and 'Dirty Harry,' served as Davao's mayor for two decades before becoming president. He has been in the custody of the International Criminal Court since March, awaiting trial for crimes against humanity over a brutal war on illegal drugs that left thousands of suspects dead during his 2016-2022 presidency. The impeachment and Rodrigo Duterte's arrest and transfer to the tribunal in The Hague came after Marcos and Sara Duterte's ties unraveled over political differences and their competing ambitions. Duterte supporters slammed Marcos's government for arresting and surrendering the former leader to a court whose jurisdiction his supporters dispute. Under Philippine law, candidates facing criminal charges, including those in detention, can run for office unless they have been convicted and have exhausted all appeals. Sara Duterte had told reporters after voting on Monday that she was in talks with her father's lawyers on how he could take his oath as mayor despite being behind bars. She had said the vice mayor, widely expected to be Sebastian, would likely be the acting mayor.
