Sara slams ‘biased’ ICC

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January 29, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — After failing to get a ruling in favor of her father, detained former president Rodrigo Duterte, Vice President Sara Duterte accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) of being “biased.”

“If they have already pre-judged the case of Rodrigo Duterte, we will also pre-judge the ICC as a biased political court. It is not a court of justice,” she said in an interview posted on vlogger Alvin and Tourism’s Facebook page.

In a 25-page decision released yesterday, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I unanimously denied the defense’s request to indefinitely adjourn the proceedings due to Duterte’s supposed cognitive impairment.

It relied on reports submitted by the independent panel of medical experts, which was formed to determine Duterte’s fitness to participate in pre-trial proceedings.

“The ICC cited the declarations of our family whether or not that happened on ‘Duterte Street’ or on other platforms. But to me, that is not a legal basis for the court to deny based on statements of relatives. You should be factual about what you see in the case or the circumstances surrounding the case,” the Vice President said.

According to the judges, they were satisfied that Duterte is fit to participate in pre-trial proceedings, which will resume with “certain measures” put in place to assist the former president, “as advised by the medical opinions received by the Chamber.”

“Is there a legal basis for you to base your decisions on people’s jokes? In one of the decisions, they even quoted a book. Oh my God, what about the book? You don’t know the motives of the person who wrote the book, right?” she said.

“Let’s just assume that they will actually imprison FPRRD (former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte). That’s clearly what they’re doing. That’s clearly what their actions are leading to,” the Vice President added.

“Let’s not trust the ICC anymore. Let’s just think now based on PRRD’s age. Let’s just think about (how we) can give him moral support. Let’s not think about the ICC because clearly, it is not unbiased,” she continued.

Four days

The ICC has allotted four days in the last week of February for the conduct of the confirmation of charges against Duterte.

Following its decision that found Duterte fit to participate in pre-trial proceedings, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I released an order setting the schedule and directions for the conduct of the upcoming hearings.

The confirmation of charges is a pre-trial procedure at the ICC where judges determine if there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.

If the charges are confirmed, the case will be assigned to a trial chamber, where additional evidence may be presented.

In the case of Duterte, the confirmation hearings will open on Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. (5 p.m. in Manila) with the reading of the charges.

The second session for the day, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Manila) will be for opening statements from the common legal representatives of the victims and the defense.

The third and final session on the first day, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. (9 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Manila), will be allotted for the prosecution’s submissions on the merits.

There will also be three sessions during the hearing days on Feb. 24, 26 and 27, divided into submissions on the merits of the prosecution, common legal representatives of the victims and the defense, as well as their closing statements.

The final session on Feb. 27 will be for the hearing on the review of Duterte’s detention.

Change counsel?

Meanwhile, Vice President Duterte remained mum on supporters’ calls to replace her father’s lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman after he failed to stop the confirmation of charges hearing against the former president.

“I forgot about him (Kaufman). I will ask that question tomorrow to former president Duterte,” the Vice President said after visiting her father in detention.

Kaufman earlier said they would appeal the ICC ruling declaring the older Duterte fit to participate in the pre-trial proceedings.

The Vice President also commented on Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson’s statement that the worst-case scenario for Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who is currently in hiding, is for him to be detained in The Hague.

“As for Senator Bato’s situation, that’s not the case. He’s not sick. Those poor people who go through chemo and then become so weak… do not want to eat, those things, those illnesses that don’t have any cure, those in hospice, those who are just waiting for the Lord. They already know they will be taken. Those are the worst cases or worst incidents that can happen in a person’s life. When you’re very much alive, you’re not sick and you’re not going to die, you’re OK, just go,” she said.

At the same time, the Vice President’s brother, Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Duterte, accused senators of suffering from “selective mourning and convenient amnesia” by making heroes out of extrajudicial killing victims and forgetting about the “SAF 44” who died in action. –  Janvic Mateo, Delon Porcalla