Sara welcomes Senate call for Duterte’s interim release

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July 17, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —  Vice President Sara Duterte welcomed the move of her father’s allies in the Senate to file a resolution pushing for the interim release of former president Rodrigo Duterte under a house arrest arrangement in The Hague, Netherlands.

Senators Bong Go, Ronald dela Rosa and Robinhood Padilla have filed a resolution calling for the Philippine government to support their call for the interim release of the former president.

The senators cited humanitarian grounds due to Duterte’s advanced age and deteriorating health, as they described – without presenting proof – the former president’s condition as down to “skin and bones.”

In the resolution filed on Monday, they lamented that Duterte has been detained for over 100 days at the Scheveningen Prison awaiting trial for crimes against humanity stemming from the deaths in his anti-illegal drugs campaign.

Duterte’s allies also pointed out his isolation from family, which should justify their call for house arrest.

The Davao City Council has unanimously passed a resolution calling on the International Criminal Court to allow Duterte's interim release, citing humanitarian grounds, health concerns, and respect for Philippine sovereignty.

According to Duterte, as a former president, her father is entitled to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City.

“But he doesn’t want it. He just wants his remains to be disposed. I will ask next time why he does not want to be buried,” she said.

Duterte reiterated that a viral “skin and bones” photo of the former president is fake. While her father has indeed lost weight, she said he can still walk, contrary to what the seemingly AI-generated photo is trying to depict.

Bound by Rome Statute

Meanwhile, Akbayan party-list Rep. Jose Manuel Diokno warned yesterday against a resolution filed by Sen. Imee Marcos seeking to prohibit arrests or detention of individuals in the Philippines for transfer to any international court, including the International Criminal Court, without a warrant issued by a local court.

Diokno said Marcos’ proposal undermines the Philippines’ continuing obligations under the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, particularly in relation to crimes committed while the country was still a member.

“Even if we withdrew our membership from the ICC, we still have obligations in court under the Rome Statute for those crimes that were committed or covered by the jurisdiction of the ICC during our membership,” Diokno said in a press conference. –  Jose Rodel Clapano, Diana Lhyd Suelto, Edith Regalado