Davao Cong. Paolo Duterte Says “Pain is Immeasurable” over Dad Rodrigo’s Detention under the ICC
PAOLO DUTERTE – The Davao Congressman issued a statement on former President Rodrigo Duterte’s situation as he marks his 100th day in detention under the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Currently, there are still no updates as to how or when former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte will take his oath as mayor of Davao City. The former Chief Executive won the mayoralty race in his hometown despite his detention under the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands.
Previously, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) stressed that Duterte has to be physically present in office to perform his duties as mayor of Davao. Today, the former President marks his 100th day in ICC detention. He is faced with an allegation of crimes against humanity over his administration’s war on drugs.
The lawyers of former Pres. Duterte have requested for his ICC interim release to an undisclosed country. According to Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, considering the age of her father which she described can be called “super senior”, there are needs of the former President that cannot be met inside the ICC detention facility.
The Vice President further said that the interim release, if granted, will benefit her father as he can be taken cared of by nurses or caregivers. She has visited the former President after the May 2025 Elections and is now back in the country.
As his father marks his 100th day in ICC detention, Davao Cong. Paolo Duterte penned a message expressing his pain as a son over the situation of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the eldest son of the former President maintained that his father is not a criminal.
“He is not a criminal. He is a man who gave his life to serve this nation, who walked the most difficult paths so that we may live in peace, free from fear, and with dignity,” Congressman Pulong said.
Furthermore, Cong. Paolo Duterte stressed that former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte “stood up against the enemies of the Republic, and now he suffers alone — far from home, far from his people”. According to him, as a son, the pain cannot be measured and, as a Filipino, he cannot bear the alleged injustice done to the former President.
Based on the report, the son of the former President asks the public to remember his father and to pray for his health, strength, and freedom. He expressed his belief that the Filipino people will not leave behind the people who fought for them.
“Light a candle, say his name, and let your love be felt across the walls of that foreign prison. We believe in justice. We believe in truth. And most of all, we believe that the Filipino people will never abandon those who fought for them,” the Davao Congressman said.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte was with presidential sister and Senator Imee Marcos during her recent flight to The Hague. According to the Vice President, former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte wants to talk to Sen. Imee Marcos in The Hague but she was not allowed to see him.