President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. offered a brief but heartfelt reaction to Vice President Sara Duterte’s public expression of gratitude for helping mend her strained relationship with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Glad I could help,” Marcos said, in response to VP Duterte’s remarks during a chance interview in The Hague, where her father is currently detained.
The vice president, who visited the elder Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC), reflected on their reunion, calling it a moment of reconciliation. “This really is ironic, but I have to thank Bongbong Marcos because there was forgiveness between me and [former President Rodrigo Duterte] for all that has happened in our lives,” she said.
She added that they’ve begun to rebuild what she described as a “father-daughter relationship,” something they missed when she was growing up due to her father’s demanding political career.
Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro confirmed that Marcos was informed of the vice president’s statement. “He said he was happy to have helped them reconcile,” she shared during a press briefing in Malacañang.
However, Castro also noted that the opportunity for the reunion came amid the former president’s legal troubles.
“It’s better if VP Sara thanked her father, the former President Duterte himself,” Castro said in Filipino. “If she had a chance to spend time with her father, that’s because of the EJK cases. If the action against the war on drugs didn’t happen and if there was no complainant, they wouldn’t have had the chance to get to The Hague.”
Former President Duterte was arrested in Manila on March 11 and transferred to the ICC detention center in the Netherlands. He faces trial for alleged crimes against humanity linked to his controversial war on drugs. His confirmation of charges hearing is set for September 23.
Despite the somber setting, VP Duterte described her visit as a rare opportunity. “Now, I have this every day with him, talking about life, talking about family… I feel that I am blessed,” she said. “Sad that it has to happen inside the ICC. But yes, thank you to him,” referring again to Marcos.
