Memes lang 'to: Elle Woods, Annalise Keating, and more fictional characters ‘defending’ Rodrigo Duterte
Since Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest by the International Criminal Court over his alleged crimes against humanity, the pro-Duterte camp has been scrambling to garner support for the former President.
Several posts have gone viral the past few days bearing fabricated quotes from fictional lawyers, all coming to the former President’s defense. Some fake quotes shared in pro-Duterte spaces are debunked by his supporters themselves; but because of the posts’ convincing sincerity, they are still widely believed and shared.
While these posts mostly began as satire, it’s clear this has become a case of disinformation. As one X user posted, “It misleads those who aren’t in on the joke”—it calls attention to the susceptibility of Filipinos to fake news.
Below, we list some of the fictional lawyers (and a doctor!) who have gone viral for their fake shows of support for former President Duterte as he appears in court at The Hague.
Annalise Keating, How to Get Away With Murder
Annalise Keating, played by Viola Davis, is an iconic—albeit fictional—lawyer from the legal drama How to Get Away With Murder. While it’s unclear who first made the quote card (it even has the CNN logo), it was widely shared by Duterte’s supporters, including former Laguna governor ER Ejercito who cited the fake quote in a Facebook post. Ejercito’s post has been deleted.
Elle Woods, Legally Blonde
Keating’s fake quote is being attributed to another fictional lawyer: Elle Woods from Legally Blonde, originally played by Reese Witherspoon. The statement, shared with the NBC News logo, has been reported numerous times on TikTok, often with messages of gratitude to “Atty. Elle Woods.” However, others have warned others that the quote is fake and was made to mislead Duterte's supporters.
Saul Goodman, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul
Not only is the lawyer fictional, but the quote pokes fun at the former President. While Saul Goodman of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul argued that Duterte should be “freed and sent back to the Philippines,” he suggested “public fellatio” as a “proper oral argument.” Still, it has been shared in Pro-Duterte groups, with some supporters thanking Goodman.
Harvey Specter and Mike Ross, Suits
Fictional lawyers Harvey Specter and Mike Ross from the TV series Suits will serve as Duterte’s defense attorneys, according to a spoof news card posted on the satire Facebook group "House of Representa-thieves: Butasang Pambulsa." It was eventually re-shared outside the group, earning the praise of some supporters. “Panalo niyo tatay namin para makauwi na siya sa birthday niya,” wrote one commenter. Other commenters, however, debunked the post and revealed the lawyers to be fictional.
Dr. Gregory House, House
Lawyers are not the only ones coming to Duterte’s defense. Fictional doctor Gregory House from the medical drama House has “released” multiple fabricated statements, from Duterte’s health to Kitty Duterte’s drug test results.
Johnny Sins, adult film performer
Adult filmmaker and YouTube Johnny Sins turned into a “world-renowned lawyer” in another viral spoof quote card where he offers Duterte his services for free. While most Facebook users recognize the post as fake and are posting similarly satirical comments, others thanked Sins and urged him to bring Duterte home.