Fact check: Viral quote fabricates drug war victim's sister plea to leave Hague

A viral quote card falsely attributes a plea to return to the Philippines to Sheerah Escudero, sister of a drug war victim.

Screenshot taken Nov. 12, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

MANILA, Philippines — A viral Facebook post falsely claims that the sister of a drug war victim pleaded to be brought home from The Hague after experiencing hardship in the Netherlands.

The quote card, shared by Facebook account Boss Bombay on Tuesday, November 10, attributes the supposed plea to Sheerah Escudero, whose brother Ephraim was killed in 2017 during the drug war of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Facebook account Boss Bombay shared the viral quote card falsely attributing a plea to return to the Philippines to Sheerah Escudero in a post published on November 10, 2026.

Screenshot taken Nov. 12, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

The graphic features an image purportedly showing Escudero in tears, alongside the statement:

Tulungan nio kami Maka uwi Ng pinas hirap na kami Dito sa The Hague!

Rating: This is fake.

Facts

No credible news report or public statement from Escudero supports the claim that she pleaded to return to the Philippines because of difficulties in The Hague.

The quote card also bears no logo or other identifying marks linking it to a credible news organization or source.

A Google reverse image search yielded no earlier matches for the image purportedly showing Escudero in tears. The image's origin and authenticity could not be established.

Sheerah Escudero speaks at a gathering of families of drug war victims in Quezon City on April 25, 2026.

Screenshot taken Nov. 12, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

Escudero attended a gathering of families of drug war victims in Quezon City on April 25, following the International Criminal Court's (ICC) rejection of Duterte's appeal challenging the court's jurisdiction and the confirmation of all charges against the former president.

At the event, she vowed that the families would continue fighting for justice for the victims amid attacks against them.

"Patay na po ang mga kaanak natin. Sino pong titindig para sa kanila? Sino magtatanggol para sa sarili nila kundi po tayo mga naiwan nila?" Escudero said.

Sheerah Escudero condemns the circulation of edited photos of drug war victims’ relatives during Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing in The Hague on February 26, 2026.

Screenshot taken Nov. 12, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

Previously, Escudero was among the relatives of drug war victims who traveled to The Hague for Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing from February 23 to 27.

On February 26, she condemned the circulation of manipulated images depicting her and other victims' relatives supposedly carrying designer handbags.

“Wala na silang ibang ginagawa kung hindi i-manipulate ‘yung statements namin, ‘yung images po namin to discredit ‘yung totoong panawagan ng mga pamilya ng biktima, which is para ilatag ‘yung katotohanan at manawagan para sa hustisya,” she said.

("They do nothing but manipulate our statements and images to discredit the genuine call of victims' families, which is to present the truth and demand justice.")

Why we fact-checked this

The fabricated quote is part of a pattern of misleading social media content targeting relatives of drug war victims pursuing accountability before the ICC.

In February, multiple pro-Duterte Facebook pages circulated an edited photo of Rubilyn Litao of the group Rise Up for Life and for Rights, Llore Pasco and Escudero holding bags that appeared to be from Louis Vuitton and Moynat.

The latest quote card circulated ahead of the scheduled November 30 opening of Duterte's ICC trial over alleged crimes against humanity linked to his administration's war on drugs.

As of Nov. 12, the Facebook post had garnered more than 26,000 reactions, 8,000 comments and 1,700 shares.