Vice President Sara Duterte confirmed that no Filipino lawyer has been considered yet for the legal team defending former President Rodrigo Duterte in the International Criminal Court (ICC). She said they are still finalizing the team and awaiting court vetting.
“Wala pa pong Filipino lawyers ngayon, ‘yun ay ginagawan ng shortlist sa ngayon,” she told reporters.
VP Duterte has been in The Hague since her father’s arrest on March 11. She stated that she will only return to the Philippines once the legal team is complete.
She also shared that her mother, Honeylet Avanceña, and sister, Kitty Duterte, will be traveling to the Netherlands in time for the former president’s birthday on March 28. She has applied for permission for them to visit him.
For supporters, she suggested private gatherings instead of large events requiring Dutch government approval.
VP Duterte clarified that it was her—not her father—who suggested that he might suffer the same fate as assassinated former Senator Ninoy Aquino. She emphasized that the former president’s primary concern is returning home.
“Let me be clear that President Duterte wants to go home. Gusto niya talagang umuwi ng Davao City,” she said.
The former president was arrested on March 11 upon returning from Hong Kong. The ICC charges him with crimes against humanity, alleging that he led death squads responsible for extrajudicial killings during his drug war.
Duterte appeared before ICC judges via video link on March 14. His next hearing is set for September 23 to confirm the charges.