Atty. Salvador Panelo Speaks on Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, VP Sara
PANELO – The former presidential Spokesman claimed that if former President Rodrigo Duterte will die during detention, it may result to the presidency of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.
Former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte was issued a warrant of arrest by the International Criminal Court. The ICC has long been probing the war on drugs of the previous administration. Duterte was arrested in Manila last March 11.
Duterte was arrested and sent to The Hague, Netherlands via Dubai on the same day. The former President is detained in the Hague Penitentiary Institution for more than a week now. Duterte has likened his detention place into a hotel. He stayed in the hospital wing of the detention facility for several days but is now under a regular detention.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte is currently in The Hague to set the legal team of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte. According to her, her father wants her to return immediately to the country. The Vice President said she needs to set her father’s legal team, introduce them to her brothers and to Duterte’s partner, Honeylet Avanceña, and then return to the country.
Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte is celebrating his 80th birthday today. Honeylet Avanceña and their daughter, Kitty Duterte, are also in The Hague now. There are countless calls on the government and the Supreme Court to bring FPRRD home.
Recently, Duterte’s former legal counsel and spokesperson, Atty. Salvador Panelo, spoke on the detention of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Based on a report on Inquirer, he expressed his belief that if Duterte will die during his detention at the ICC, it may result to the presidency of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.
Based on the report, Atty. Salvador Panelo stressed that the Philippine history had the death of a popular person in politics often followed by the rise of a relative or a child. The lawyer recalled the case of the late former Presidents Cory Aquino and Noynoy Aquino.
“Remember when Cory died? PNoy then had no ambition of becoming president, and then suddenly, when his mother died, he became president. This is what we see here,” Panelo said.
According to Panelo, it may be a similar case with former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Vice Pres. Sara Duterte in case the former dies during his ICC detention. Previously, following his arrest, former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte himself expressed his belief that his arrest can lead to VP Sara’s presidential win.