Dutertes want Duterte to face death in Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — The Duterte family hopes former president Rodrigo Duterte will die in the Philippines should he pass away before the conclusion of his case before the International Criminal Court (ICC), Vice President Sara Duterte said yesterday.
“There is always the possibility that he will pass inside the prison. And that is something that I already discussed with president Duterte. That is why he gave his instructions in case he dies in prison. But of course, as a Filipino, as a daughter, we want him to die on Philippine soil,” the Vice President said in an interview in The Hague.
While acknowledging that her father is now under the ICC’s jurisdiction, Sara questioned the court’s impartiality and maintained that he had been treated unjustly.
“Since he is already under the ICC jurisdiction, we try to support it, but of course, as a daughter, as Filipinos, we have feelings about how objective the ICC and officials, people inside the ICC, are about the case. And of course, we feel that there was really an injustice with how he was taken from our country,” she added.
The Vice President expressed concern over her father’s health, particularly a skin condition she noticed during her visit, saying she had already referred the matter to his lawyers.
“Is it a cause for concern? Yes, I referred it to the lawyer. Because I said, PRRD can’t explain where it started or how he got it. He just knows that he’s itching. And it’s a concern because PRRD is diabetic. So as much as possible, we don’t want any part of his body to be injured,” she said.
According to Sara, the detention facility’s health unit had already applied cream to the rash.
“I asked the lawyer if he could let us, the defense group, and the family know what it was so that PRRD could be told to avoid things that could trigger that on his skin so that it wouldn’t get infected,” she said, adding that the red spots on her father’s back had already dried.
Appealing to the ICC to speed up the proceedings after it set the trial for Nov. 30, 2026, Sara said: “There is a presumption of innocence always for an accused. We can only request and plead with them to speed up the trial because he is already 81 years old and he cannot afford to stay in detention for three, four, five years more.”
Lapdog
The Vice President renewed her criticism of the ICC, saying the court’s handling of her father’s case had exposed the kind of institution it is.
“The whole world can now see what kind of organization the ICC is. And we have shown through the case of former president Rodrigo Duterte what kind of institution the ICC is,” she said.
Speaking during the “Free Duterte Now” rally on Wednesday, she called President Marcos and former senator Antonio Trillanes IV traitors for allowing her father’s arrest and turnover to the ICC in March 2025. She also described the court as “a lapdog of Trillanes and Marcos.”
“At the rally, we showed the complainant. It’s all about politics. Who kidnapped him, the Philippine government, it’s all about local politics. We showed the subject of the supposed crimes against humanity, which is a drug war program of the government of the Philippines. And we showed that the person who ordered the investigation has a conflict of interest,” said Sara.
“But we see that they are still holding on to president Duterte’s case. He is still in prison at 81 years old and has difficulty walking. He is experiencing a lot of pain in his body and they are not releasing him. On that note, he can be shown as an example for the rest of the country. What is the reputation and what is the interest and agenda of the ICC?” she added.
The former president is facing three counts of crimes against humanity of murder covering 49 incidents involving 76 killings and two attempted murders over his administration’s war on drugs.
Of around 70 witnesses, up to 30 are expected to testify in court.
As of May, prosecutors have disclosed 5,177 pieces of evidence to the defense, with 13,284 under review for possible disclosure.
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