THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Vice President Sara Duterte revealed Tuesday that she has yet to discuss with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, his request to be cremated in the Netherlands, saying she is personally “not pro-cremation.”
During an interview outside the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague—where supporters of the former president regularly gather—Sara Duterte disclosed that her father had already shared his “last wishes” should he pass away abroad.
“Nagbigay na siya ng kanyang mga huling habilin. Sabi niya, kung saan daw siya mamatay, doon daw siya i-cremate,” she said.
“Kung mamatay daw siya dito sa Netherlands, huwag na daw iuwi ‘yung kanyang katawan sa Pilipinas. Ipa-cremate lang daw siya dito,” she added.
While acknowledging that it is only natural to begin discussing such matters given that her father is now 80 years old, the Vice President said she told him the conversation would have to wait for another time due to her personal reservations about cremation.
She also observed that while her father had lost significant weight, his skin appeared to have improved. “He was not in the mood,” she said of their visit. His only message to Filipinos was a familiar line: “No guts, no glory.”
The Vice President will be in The Hague until July 23 and would then be in South Korea on July 28 for a “Free Duterte Rally.”
She will not attend President Marcos’ fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28. (Raymund Antonio)
