Vice Ganda vehemently said there is no truth to the claims he released a statement praising former President Rodrigo Duterte’s leadership, which circulated on social media amid the latter’s arrest.

Duterte was arrested on Tuesday, March 11, after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him for crimes against humanity.

A quote card attributed to Vice Ganda made rounds on the internet, claiming that the “It’s Showtime” host supposedly stressed that many drug addicts and criminals surrendered to the police in fear of Duterte. The fake statement further claimed that the public would have “died” during the pandemic if it weren’t for Duterte’s leadership.

“I never stated this. [Please] report,” the actor-TV host said as he shared the fake photo card via his X page.

“FAKE NEWS! Huwag paniwalaan ang kumakalat na pahayag na ito!” he stated in a separate post. “Wala po akong inilabas o sinabi na ganitong statement.”

Vice Ganda then posed a reminder to the public, “Maging mapanuri at huwag basta maniwala sa impormasyong walang malinaw o opisyal na pinagmulan.”

Duterte also on Tuesday boarded a chartered flight to The Hague in the Netherlands where he will face the crimes against humanity charges that stemmed from his bloody drug war.