Vice President Sara Duterte has announced that she will remain in the Netherlands to stay with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained at The Hague, until another family member arrives to take her place.
Duterte arrived at the International Criminal Court (ICC) ahead of her father’s initial pre-trial appearance. Speaking to reporters, she confirmed that she would not leave unless a relative was present to stay with him.
“I will not leave until someone from our family can replace me,” she said.
The vice president shared that the former president had asked her to return to the Philippines. “He repeatedly told me, ‘Do not leave the country. Do not leave the Philippines,’” she recalled. However, she noted that she was the only family member with a Schengen visa and legal background, making her the most suitable to be there.
She added that she would return to the Philippines as soon as the Duterte camp has coordinated with their legal team.
Addressing her father’s supporters, she conveyed his message: “Relax lang, may hangganan ang lahat. A day of reckoning will come.”
Rodrigo Duterte is facing accusations of crimes against humanity, specifically murder, in connection with his administration’s war on illegal drugs between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019.
