Part of the duty of being the Vice President of the Philippines is to ensure that every Filipino is granted due process, especially when detained abroad.
This is how Vice President Sara Duterte explained her continued stay in the Netherlands, where she remains for her detained father Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC), adding that her return to the Philippines remains uncertain.
“I do not wish to stay here. My children and family are there in the Philippines. As Vice President, I also have a duty to our fellow countryman, who is a Filipino citizen, who is held against his will here at the ICC detention center,” Sara said in a mix of English and Filipino during an online press briefing on Thursday.
“Let us not think it is because he is my father. Instead let us consider that I am the Vice President and I am making ways to return a Filipino citizen to our country,” she added.
The Vice President revealed she has a return ticket to the Philippines for April, but whether she will be able to come home remains uncertain as the defense team of her father is still being finalized.
She emphasized that despite being abroad, she has not neglected her responsibilities in the Philippines, ensuring that the projects of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) continue as planned.
Regarding preparations for her upcoming impeachment, Sara assured the process remains on track, as she had begun preparing for it as early as 2023. She also clarified that the lawyers handling her impeachment case will not be involved in her father’s ICC defense.