Former President Rodrigo Duterte is in good spirits and being well taken care of while being detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention facility in Scheveningen, The Hague, for charges of crimes against humanity.
This was announced by Vice President Sara Duterte who met her father for an hour on Friday, March 14 (Manila time), after his first hearing at the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC to hear the charges against him.
“I visited former president Duterte. He is in the hospital wing of the detention center and he is in good spirits, he is well taken care of,” the official, who flew immediately to The Hague after her father’s arrest last Tuesday, March 11, said.
The younger Duterte said they talked about family, country, the legal team, and their plans for the next four days.
“We met in the visitors area. The demeanor was he looked well-rested. I asked him that and then he said, ‘I do not do anything except sleep and watch TV’ because he has access to a TV,” she disclosed.
GO HOME
The Vice President said her father asked her to go back to the Philippines and not to leave the country.
However, she told him that despite not wanting to be there, she could not leave him alone until another family member arrives in The Hague.
“When we talked, as a request, he asked me to go home so he repeatedly said, ‘Do not leave the country, do not leave the Philippines,” she shared.
The Vice President was the first family member who was able to fly immediately to the Netherlands following their father’s arrest and subsequent flight to The Hague since she was the only one with a Schengen visa.
“And I’m the only one who is a lawyer. So, I told that when we are able to meet with the legal team, I will immediately return and yes, do my work,” she said, adding that she can remotely deal with his legal team while in the Philippines.
She also disclosed that she has a valid visa to stay there until April 30 but it doesn’t mean she’ll be there until that date.
“So, I will be here until the legal team doing their work already and another relative is here to assist him,” the Vice President said.
Her brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, disclosed that he plans to apply for a Schengen visa so he could visit his father.
MISSING FILIPINO FOOD
Although the former president told his daughter that he is well taken care of there, he complained about missing Filipino food.
“My only complain is I really miss Filipino food,” the elder Duterte told his daughter.
But the Vice President said there had been a “good development” in terms of the food being served to the former president.
“But very recently sa meal nila meron nang (there was) rice so that was a good development.”
The former chief executive attended virtually the first hearing to officially hear the charges lodged against him at the ICC, as well as be informed of his rights under the Rome Statute.
The Vice President, who was believed to be in the audience, said she was surprised to see her father appear virtually.
“I had no expectations,” she stated.
“I did not know he was appearing for a livestream. But I think it was the decision of the doctor. So, inside the facility, all the decisions are made by the doctor,” she added.
The former president was flown to The Hague via a chartered flight after his arrest on March 11 under an ICC warrant on crimes against humanity over his bloody war on drugs campaign that allegedly killed thousands, mostly poor Filipinos.
Although the Philippines officially withdrew from the Rome Statute in March 2019 during the Duterte administration, it maintains jurisdiction on all drug war crimes until that period. (Raymund Antonio)
