Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) expressed appreciation to supporters in The Hague, Netherlands for their solidarity with former president Rodrigo Duterte following the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision finding him fit to participate in the pre-trial proceedings.
In a chance interview, Vice President Duterte acknowledged their presence and the moral support they provided amid ‘unfavorable’ news about his case.
“Maraming salamat sa inyo, mga kababayan namin, sa inyong pagpapakita ng suporta kay dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na dito sa detention unit ng ICC. At siyempre, lalong-lalo na ngayong araw na ito dahil hindi maganda ‘yung balita sa kanyang kaso at nandito kayo para magbigay ng moral support sa kanya. At sigurado ako na maikwento ‘yun ng abogado niya na pumasok ngayon doon, si Atty. (Nicholas) Kaufman,” she said.
(Thank you very much to all of you, our fellow countrymen, for showing your support for former President Rodrigo Duterte here at the ICC detention unit. Especially today, as the news regarding his case is not good and you are here to provide moral support for him. I am sure his lawyer, Atty. Kaufman, will share that with him.)
This statement comes in response to the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC announcing its decision finding the former president fit to take part in the proceedings scheduled on February 23.
In a 25-page, redacted public version of the decision, the chamber decided to resume the proceedings on the confirmation of charges in the case.
The vice president said she did not discuss the court’s decision during her visit because she was prohibited from doing so.
“Kasi bawal sa akin ang mag-discuss sa kanya tungkol sa kaso niya. Ang pinag-usapan namin ay yung mga aksidente sa dagat. Sa loob ng dalawang linggo, nakatatlong aksidente na sa dagat at malungkot na marami ang mga namatay at ano din, marami pa ang hinahanap,” she added.
(I am not allowed to discuss his case with him. What we talked about were the recent maritime accidents. In the past two weeks, there have been three incidents at sea, and it is tragic that many have died and several others are still missing.)
Kaufman has expressed disappointment over the ICC decision, claiming the former president was denied due process because the chamber did not accept their appeal to bring in their own medical experts.
“The Defence is disappointed that, contrary to accepted practice, it was denied the opportunity to present its own medical evidence and to question, in court, the contradictory findings of professionals selected by the judges,” he said, according to an X post by ABS-CBN News.
“The Defense will seek leave to appeal this decision and argue that Mr. Duterte was denied due process,” Kaufman added.
The ICC said its judges arrived at their decision “having regard to the relevant legal principles, the medical assessment of the independent experts composing the Panel, and all of the relevant circumstances of the case.”
“The Chamber was satisfied that Mr. Duterte is able effectively to exercise his procedural rights and is therefore fit to take part in the pre-trial proceedings, which are thereby resumed. The Chamber rejected the Defence’s request for an indefinite adjournment and set the date of the commencement of the confirmation of charges hearing for 23 February 2026,” the court noted.
In a separate statement, Vice President Duterte urged Filipinos to pray for the safety of the passengers who are still missing after the MV Trisha Kerstin 3 sank near Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan on Monday, January 26.
The vice president was in The Hague to visit her father, who has been held at the ICC since March.
He was taken to The Hague following his arrest on a warrant issued in connection with alleged crimes against humanity related to his administration’s brutal ‘War on Drugs’ campaign.
