Vice Pres. Sara Duterte Calls for Vigilance amid Dad Rodrigo’s Birthday
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President took to social media a message for their supporters on the birthday of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
Former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte remains detained under the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands for a year now. It was last March 11, 2025 when he was arrested by the Philippine authorities who assisted the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) upon his arrival from Hong Kong.
Recently, as the arrest of the former President turned a year since, presidential sister and Senator Imee Marcos urged the executive department to fully disclose all the details regarding the arrest of former Pres. Duterte. The Senator aligned herself with the Dutertes amid the controversial turn of events.
Pres. Bongbong Marcos and the Philippine government were heavily blamed over the arrest and the transfer of custody of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte. According to Malacañang, the government only did its job in lieu of its commitment with the Interpol.
Marcos Jr. stressed that the issue between Duterte and the ICC was already existing even when he was still out of the picture. Currently, the Philippine government has not considered rejoining the ICC.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte believes that Pres. Bongbong Marcos allegedly committed an impeachable offense over the arrest and the transfer of the custody of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte to the ICC. Many Filipinos criticized the government for allowing its citizen to be tried by a foreign court.
Today, former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte turns 81. On her father’s birthday, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte issued a message for their supporters and the Filipino people.
“To all the parallel support groups, volunteers, and the millions of Filipinos here and abroad who organized celebrations to honor him, maraming salamat sa inyong walang sawang pagmamahal at katapatan,” the younger Duterte said in a video message that was posted on her social media account.
According to Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, the loyalty of their supporters to former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte is a allegedly a proof of a leadership that put the safety and dignity of every Filipino family on top of its priorities. She stressed that they remain firm in the defense of his rights and she called for vigilance against the alleged use of the law as a weapon.
“The defense of his rights is a defense of our national sovereignty. We must remain vigilant against the weaponization of the law and the unconstitutional intrusion of foreign bodies that seek to bypass our own courts,” the Vice President said.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte stressed that the justice system in the Philippines must remain independent and must serve only the Filipino people and not foreign interests. In her video message, she expressed her gratitude to the Filipinos.
“To the Filipino people: thank you for being our strength. Through the storms and challenges, your resilience remains our inspiration. Patuloy nating ipaglaban ang dangal ng ating bansa,” the Vice President said.
Former presidential chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo believes that the Philippine government can allegedly immedtiately take back the custody of Duterte if it wants to. Panelo is one of the Filipino lawyers who were added to Duterte’s ICC legal team prior to the confirmation of charges hearing.
