Vice President Sara Duterte, after meeting with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait to underscore the importance of safeguarding their welfare, is set to proceed to The Hague, Netherlands, to continue working for the release of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC), her office announced on Saturday, Aug. 16.
The Office of the Vice President (OVP), in a statement, confirmed Duterte’s trip on Friday, Aug. 15, but assured that such official engagements are “conducted in full compliance with existing government rules and regulations, ensuring that her presence abroad is both lawful and aligned with her responsibilities in public service.”
“As part of the Vice President’s mandate to represent and advocate for the welfare of all Filipinos, including those overseas, it is essential that she remains actively engaged with the Filipino migrant communities wherever they may be,” the OVP said.
It added that the gathering discussed concerns and issues impacting the OFW sector.
The OVP also shared that after ensuring that the OFWs’ concerns are heard, the Vice President “will then proceed to continue working on the release of our former head of state Rodrigo Duterte who was forcibly taken from Philippine soil.”
“The Office of the Vice President, along with its 10 satellite offices across the country, remains ready to serve and assist our fellow Filipinos both here and abroad, despite limitations in capacity and budget,” the statement reiterated.
Duterte was supposed to visit Kuwait early August to attend a gathering of OFWs seeking the release of the former president from the ICC detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands.
It was not reported why her original schedule in Kuwait did not push through.
Duterte, in previous interviews, defended her trips abroad, saying that Filipinos abroad are concerned about the state of the country under the present administration.
