Vice President Sara Duterte used her father’s 81st birthday as a platform to renew calls against what she described as foreign interference in the Philippine justice system, framing former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s ICC detention as an affront to national sovereignty.
“The defense of his rights is a defense of our national sovereignty,” she said in a statement released on the occasion, adding that the country’s courts must serve “only the mandate of the Filipino people and never the interests of foreign powers.”
The message came as Duterte remains in ICC custody in The Hague, where he faces charges of murder and attempted murder as crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s drug war. A Pre-Trial Chamber concluded its confirmation of charges hearing on February 27 and has until late April to decide whether the case proceeds to full trial.
Sara directed thanks to support groups, volunteers, and what she described as “millions of Filipinos here and abroad” who organized birthday celebrations for her father, saying their loyalty was “a testament to a leadership that truly prioritized the safety and dignity of every Filipino family.”
The Vice President’s remarks echo a position long maintained by Duterte’s allies, who have consistently challenged the ICC’s jurisdiction over the former president. Defense counsel Nicholas Kaufman has filed multiple legal motions contesting the court’s authority, all of which have so far been denied.
Sara ended her message with a call to continue fighting for the country’s dignity — “Para sa Diyos, sa Bayan, at sa bawat Pamilyang Pilipino” — closing with the Arabic word “Shukran,” a nod to the significant Filipino community in the Arab world.
Malacañang, for its part, has maintained that the Philippines will not be rejoining the ICC, with the government reiterating earlier this month that President Marcos’ position on the matter has not changed.
