By Merlina Hernando-Malipot
Vice President Sara Duterte lashed out at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, accusing them of backing the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its case against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Speaking before supporters in The Hague on July 29, Duterte alleged that both Marcos and Trillanes had aided the tribunal’s investigation, even facilitating funds for ICC investigators.
She cited affidavits from former employees of Rep. Zaldy Co claiming they were instructed to convert pesos into dollars for delivery “through Trillanes.”
“How do we characterize Trillanes and Marcos in relation to ICC?” she asked the crowd, which responded: “Traitor!” Duterte affirmed: “Yes, they are traitors to a Filipino and to the country.”
She went further, branding the ICC itself as beholden to political interests.
“Ang ICC ay tuta ni Trillanes at ni Marcos. That’s it,” she declared, insisting the tribunal was acting not independently but in support of her father’s political rivals.
Duterte argued that the prosecution of the former president was politically motivated, pointing to what she described as a pattern of targeting personalities allied with him.
“Marcos supporting ICC. ICC supporting Marcos,” she said.
Throughout her speech, she reiterated her family’s position that the ICC case lacks legal and factual basis, urging supporters to continue pressing for Rodrigo Duterte’s release.
