Vice Pres. Sara Duterte Now Back in PH
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President expressed her willingness to attend the probe of Senator Imee Marcos on the arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Vice Pres. Duterte is now back in the Philippines after staying for more than three (3) weeks in The Hague, Netherlands. Her father, former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte is currently detained in the Hague Penitentiary Institution and he is faced with an allegation of crime against humanity before the International Criminal Court.
Former Pres. Duterte was arrested last March 11 in Manila by the Philippine National Police (PNP). He was detained at the Villamor Air Base for several hours and was flown to The Hague, Netherlands on the same day of his arrest.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte immediately flew to The Hague, Netherlands following the arrest of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte to support her father. Amid the request of her father for her to immediately return to the country, she claimed that she will set his legal team before heading home to the country.
Former Pres. Duterte’s legal team is led by British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman. Harry Roque is not part of Duterte’s final legal team despite his desire to be one of those who will defend the former Philippine President before the ICC.
Previously, Vice Pres. Duterte stressed that they want the lawyers in the legal team of Duterte to really be focusing on her father’s case. According to her, Roque should focus first on his application for asylum in the Netherlands. The former presidential spokesman is now an asylum seeker and he stressed that he cannot be deported in the Philippines while the application process is ongoing.
The confirmation of the charges against former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte is set on September 23. Vice Pres. Sara Duterte has returned to the country where an impeachment trial is expected to start in July. Based on a report on GMA News, she expressed her willingness to attend the Senate investigation led by Sen. Imee Marcos over her father’s arrest.
Sen. Imee Marcos previously said she could not accept what was done to former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte. After the first hearing last March 20 which was attended by Vice Pres. Sara Duterte via a video conferencing, she expressed her belief that there seems to be no due process in the arrest of the former President.
The Vice President was unable to attend the second hearing last April 3 due to “hectic schedule” and the time difference between Manila and the Netherlands. Based on the report, she is ready to attend the future hearings:
“Pero kung meron namang future hearings na meron silang tanong sa akin, tulad ng kung anong nangyari sa Hong Kong or anong nangyari pagdating ni Pangulong Duterte sa Manila, willing naman po ako sumagot,” Vice Pres. Sara Duterte said.
Sen. Imee Marcos is set to conduct a 3rd Senate inquiry over Duterte’s arrest and the cabinet officials are expected to attend the investigation. They skipped the second hearing and it left Sen. Marcos disappointed.