Vice President Sara Duterte has called on the newest batch of police graduates to remain steadfast in upholding integrity and resisting any actions that would betray fellow Filipinos, especially when under foreign pressure.
Speaking before the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Sinaglawin Class of 2025, Duterte thanked the fresh graduates for choosing a “rough, demanding, and extremely perilous” path in public service. She stressed that no hardship should ever justify surrendering a Filipino to foreign authorities.
“Sa inyong kagitingan at kahandaan na tunay na magsilbi, sana ay lagi ninyong piliin ang tama,” she said, urging the new officers to always choose what is right. Duterte also warned against staining the police profession through acts similar to “betrayal” and called out the practice of handing over Filipinos who have loyally served the country.
While she did not name anyone directly, her statements come as her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, remains detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. He faces allegations of crimes against humanity stemming from his administration’s controversial war on drugs. The Duterte family and their allies maintain that the arrest is illegal, arguing the Philippines had already withdrawn from the ICC’s jurisdiction.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., however, clarified that the government’s cooperation with international bodies such as Interpol is standard protocol and insisted that the ICC retains authority over alleged crimes committed when the country was still a signatory to the Rome Statute.
