Vice President Sara Duterte said her family has stopped hoping for former President Rodrigo Duterte’s return to the Philippines, after he accepted the possibility of dying in International Criminal Court (ICC) detention.
Her admission came as the International Criminal Court (ICC) started the confirmation hearing on elder Duterte’s crimes against humanity.
“Hindi na namin tinitingnan ‘yung chances of coming home. Hindi na namin pinag-uusapan ‘yun,” she told reporters in Iligan City on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
The vice president revealed that family members were not allowed to see the older Duterte in detention throughout the week, and that her father had already resigned himself to his fate.
“Kung makikita niyo doon sa statement niya sa court, ay sinasabi niya sa court na natanggap ko na na posibleng dito ako mamatay sa kulungan ng ICC. Nandun ‘yun nakalagay sa statement niya sa court na nagsasabi na hindi siya a-attend sa mga hearings ng confirmation of charges,” she said.
The former president, in letters to the ICC, waived his rights to attend hearings on the confirmation of charges, citing that he was already “old, tired and frail.”
He also maintained his claim that he was “kidnapped” and transported to The Hague despite the ICC’s lack of jurisdiction over the Philippines—a request the ICC eventually granted.
Despite this, the Vice President expressed gratitude to her father’s counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, and the defense team for their preparation and confidence that no evidence would prove the former president’s commission of crimes against humanity. (Joseph Pedrajas)
