Pulong says he’s going to The Hague to watch over detained former President Duterte

Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte during a Hakbang ng Maisug Rally in Davao City in January 2024. MindaNews file photo by MANMAN DEJETO

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 12 April) – Reelectionist Davao City Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte (first district) is all set to travel to The Hague, Netherlands to watch over his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who was detained on charges of alleged crimes against humanity.

The younger Duterte informed supporters of his travel during the Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod’s (HTL) campaign sortie at Royal Valley Gym in Barangay Talomo Proper here Friday night.

He said he will relieve his father’s domestic partner, Cielito “Honeylet” Avanceña, who is in The Hague with their daughter Kitty. Paolo’s mother Elizabeth Zimmerman, Duterte’s estranged wife, is also there.

Vice President Sara Duterte, who immediately followed their father after he was arrested and brought to the ICC, recently came home from The Hague.

“Ako’y mopuli kay Honeylet didto. Dili ko kapadayon og kampanya diri (I will replace Honeylet there. I cannot continue campaigning here),” Paolo said in a speech.

He, however, did not disclose his travel date.

In a document dated March 20 but shared only on March 25, the House of Representatives granted clearance for Paolo to go to several destinations from March 20 to May 10, including The Netherlands, Hong Kong and 15 other countries for a “personal trip.”

Paolo, like his younger brother Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, said their family’s political enemies allowed the “kidnapping” of their father for surrender to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

“Kabalo man mo naay mga panghitabo sa atong siyudad, na dili nato malikayan, kabalo man mo ngano, kay ang administrasyon, dili atoa (You all know that there were unforeseeable events that happened to our city. You all know why, because we are not allies of the current administration),” Duterte said, referring to the national government under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Paolo’s surprise attendance at Friday’s HTL campaign sortie was his first public appearance since the campaign period began on March 28.

He did not appear during HTL’s celebration of former president Duterte’s birthday on March 28, which was dubbed “Rody at 80: Global Celebration of His Life and Legacy.” Paolo was also a no show at the launching of the “Green Rise Action” campaign, which seeks to mount a weekly protest pressing the national government and the ICC to let Duterte go home from detention.

His younger brother Baste, who is running as vice mayor, attended both events. The elder Duterte is running in the May 12 elections as city mayor, a position that he held for 22 years before becoming the country’s first and only Mindanawon President in 2016.

Rodrigo was arrested in Manila on March 11 upon his arrival from Hong Kong, and was flown to The Hague to face charges at the ICC for alleged crimes against humanity of murder linked to his bloody “war on drugs.”

The ICC has set Duterte’s Confirmation of Charges hearing on September 23, 2025. He first faced the ICC on March 14, where he was formally informed of the charges and of his rights. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)