Sara Duterte says she’ll follow her dad to The Hague

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday night, March 11, said she would follow her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, wherever he would be taken. This was after he was arrested under a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his brutal drug war that killed thousands.

Speaking to reporters at Gate 1 of Villamor Airbase, the Vice President said she was denied entry to the airbase, where her father was waiting to be flown to The Hague, Netherlands, home of the ICC headquarters.

“Yes, meron na pong arrangements kasi kailangan ko kausapin ‘yung mga abogado doon kung saan man siya dalhin. Pupunta kami, ako, at pupunta ‘yung mga abogado and doon kami mag-uusap kung ano ‘yung mga gagawin,” Sara Duterte told reporters when asked if she would follow her father.

(Yes, there are arrangements because I need to speak with the lawyers there about where he will be taken. We will go, and the lawyers will go, and we will discuss what needs to be done.)

The Vice President said she was able to speak to her father before he left Manila via a call. In addition to legal matters, she also advised him not to accept anything from anyone there.

“Sinabihan ko rin siya na huwag tumanggap ng pagkain saka tubig kahit kanino,” Sara said. (I also told him not to accept food or water from anyone.)

The former president departed Manila on Tuesday night at 11:03 pm on board a chartered flight to The Hague. He was accompanied by his former executive secretary, Salvador Medialdea, a personal assistant, and a nurse.

Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest followed years of an ICC investigation into the brutal drug war, which human rights groups claim killed about 30,000 people. It is seen as justice for the victims’ families seeking accountability.

In an earlier statement, the Vice President decried her father’s arrest as “oppression and persecution.” She said that her father was denied his fundamental rights. – Rappler.com