Vice President Sara Duterte is set to visit Japan next month for a gathering organized by the Filipino community.
During an interview in The Hague, Netherlands, Duterte confirmed her upcoming engagement with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), continuing a series of meetings she has held over the past several months.
“Yes, tuloy ‘yung Japan. Na-set na ‘yun ng Filipino community,” she told a supporter who was in The Hague.
The official is currently in the Netherlands to visit her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, with her siblings—Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, and youngest Veronica or Kitty.
The former president earlier asked to meet all four of his children to talk about their families, politics, and future plans.
Duterte came under fire for her frequent travels abroad, with this visit her fourth time in The Hague since March. She was there from March to April, then she spent her birthday in May, and visited him again in July.
In between, she also traveled to Qatar, Malaysia, Australia, South Korea, Kuwait, and Paris.
The Vice President earlier said it’s important for her to meet OFWs abroad because she wants to highlight their concerns about the country.
On Thursday, Duterte even urged President Marcos to seek advice from OFWs to address the country’s problems as they are the “best consultants” on global best practices.
She said that engaging with OFWs will give government leaders a different perspective on the policies that they can implement back home.
The Office of the Vice President (OVP), through its spokesperson Atty. Ruth Castelo, assured in recent press conferences that the Vice President remains on top of the situation and that she communicates with them remotely.
It remains to be seen if she will be in The Hague again next month for the Sept. 23 confirmation of charges on her father’s crimes against humanity charges. (Raymund Antonio)
