Vice President Sara Duterte has declared that she will extend her stay in the Netherlands to be close to her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is being held in detention at The Hague. She decided to remain with him until another family member arrives to take over her role. Sara Duterte was present at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for her father's initial appearance before the tribunal's pre-trial chamber.
In a statement to reporters, Vice President Duterte affirmed her commitment not to leave until another relative can be with her father. She said, "I will not leave until a relative comes to make sure that there is a next of kin living with him." Despite her father's request for her to return to the Philippines, she explained her current situation, saying, "I know, I understand that and I do not want to be here as well. Unfortunately, I am the only one [in the family] who has a Schengen visa and I am the only one who is a lawyer."
VP Duterte mentioned that she plans to head back home once the legal team meets with the Duterte family. She conveyed her father's message to his supporters, urging them to remain calm and hopeful for the future, stating, "Just relax, everything has an end. A day of reckoning will come." Former President Duterte is facing accusations of committing murder as a crime against humanity during his administration's war on drugs spanning from November 2011 to March 2019.
