In the days that followed since former president Rodrigo Duterte was surrendered to the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC), his camp had already reported his cravings for Filipino cuisine.
“He is in very high spirits. He only misses his usual meals—tuyo (dried fish), munggo (mung bean), and most of all, fried bananas,” former executive secretary and Duterte’s legal counsel Salvador Medialdea said in a recent online press conference, calling for prayers for his client whom he said is otherwise okay.
In an earlier press conference at The Hague, Vice President Sara Duterte likewise reported her father was missing local fare.
“He is in good spirits. He is well taken cared of. He only commented that he really misses Filipino food. That’s all. But very recently in their meal, there was rice. So that was a good development,” Sara said.
“I asked him about the food because I know his preferences for food. And then he said, ‘Yes, well that’s my only complaint is that I really, really miss Filipino food…’ Paksiw na isda. Inun-unan (fish cooked in vinegar),” she added.
The former president is currently under ICC custody at the court’s detention center in Scheveningen, The Hague.
“The Court provides three meals per day, but the detainees also have access to a communal kitchen if they wish to cook. A shopping list is also available to detainees so that they can procure additional items, to the extent possible,” according to an ICC document.
“Detained persons are provided with suitably prepared food that satisfies in quality and quantity the standards of dietetics and modern hygiene. Additionally, detained persons are allowed to cook for themselves… to adjust the meals provided to them, according to their taste and cultural requirements,” reads another ICC document.