Sara Duterte concerned Rodrigo's interim release might be rejected
As a daughter, VP Sara Duterte said she is worried that the tribunal will deny her father's release, considering his physical state. (Screenshot from Inday Sara FB Page)
Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday expressed concerns that the interim release of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, might not be granted, following the petition of the Office of the Prosecutor in the International Criminal Court (ICC) to the tribunal.
The Vice President said that she has not yet read the recent request by the prosecution for the chamber to reject the defense's call for Rodrigo Duterte's interim release.
As a daughter, she said she is worried that the tribunal will deny her father's release, considering his physical state.
'As a daughter, I am concerned that he will not be granted interim release. He is 80 years old, he is not in good health, he's not been eating well and he needs support from familiar people and he needs the care of his family and loved ones,' she said.
The Vice President, who is also a lawyer, also questioned the purpose of the provision on the interim release if it would simply be denied to the accused.
The prosecution argued that Rodrigo Duterte's continued detention is necessary to ensure his appearance during trial, saying that he does not accept the legitimacy of the legal proceedings against him.
It noted the former president's previous remarks against the ICC as well as the petition he filed before the Supreme Court against the cooperation of the Philippine government with the ICC.
The prosecution further said that Rodrigo Duterte's allies and family members remain in positions of power. It specifically mentioned VP Sara, noting that the vice president made clear that she views his detention as illegitimate.
Rodrigo's release also poses a risk to the ongoing investigation due to the possible opportunity to intimidate or threaten witnesses, as he appears to still wield considerable power, according to the prosecution.
Sara Duterte, in response, emphasized that her power and authority as the Vice President do not extend beyond Philippine shores.
'I do not understand the reasoning behind opposing the interim release because of the position of the daughter. Because right now, he is not in interim release. He is detained in the ICC detention unit pero Vice President pa rin ako [but I'm still the VP],' she said.
The Duterte patriarch is facing a crimes against humanity case before the ICC over his administration's drug war. Though he is currently under ICC custody, his camp has sought his release to an undisclosed country.
In their request, Rodrigo Duterte's camp argued that the former president is not a flight risk. They also cited humanitarian considerations for the interim release, saying that Duterte is already 80 years old. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
6 hours ago
- GMA Network
Majority of Pinoys back rejoining the ICC —OCTA survey
Majority of Filipinos are in favor of the Philippines rejoining the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to the results of an OCTA Research survey released on Monday. The Tugon ng Masa nationwide survey, conducted from April 20 to 24, showed that 57% of Filipinos want the country to rejoin the ICC while 37% are opposed to the move, and 6% remain undecided. Those who expressed support for rejoining the ICC was strong in most regions of the country. The survey results indicated that in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, and the Visayas, at least 60% of respondents backed the move. However, Mindanao was an exception—with only 30% in favor of rejoining the ICC and 66% rejecting it, the highest rate of opposition recorded across regions. Across socioeconomic classes and age groups, support remains relatively consistent with at least half of the respondents in each category favoring rejoining, according to the survey. Further, opposition by class ranges from 34% to 42%, with the highest levels in Class E. By age, opposition spans 32% to 44%, with at least 40% of adults aged 18–24, 35–44, and 45–54 not in favor of rejoining the ICC. A total of 1,200 male and female respondents aged 18 and above were interviewed face-to-face for the study. The survey has a margin of error of ±3 % at a 95% confidence level. Subnational estimates for the geographic areas covered in the survey have the following margins of error at a 95% confidence level: ±6% for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Respondents were shown the following statement before they were asked of their stand: The International Criminal Court (ICC) is a global institution dedicated to upholding justice and protecting human rights by holding individuals accountable for the most serious crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression. The Philippines withdrew from the ICC's founding treaty, the Rome Statute, in 2019 after the tribunal launched a probe into the Duterte administration's deadly drug war. When asked last March about the possibility of the Philippines rejoining the ICC, Marcos simply smiled and said the matter had not been discussed. This was after the arrest of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte and the latter's detention in the Netherlands on charges of crimes against humanity before the ICC. However, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro recently said the President was open to having discussions with regard to the Philippines rejoining the tribunal. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
7 hours ago
- GMA Network
PH, Lithuania ink MOU to enhance defense ties
The Philippines and Lithuania on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance the defense cooperation between the two countries. In her speech during her visit to the Philippines, Lithuanian defense minister Dovile Šakaliene said the MOU is a framework for a 'meaningful cooperation' with Manila. 'Our strategic commitment to the Indo-Pacific is laid out in our new strategy for defense and security engagement in this region, which was announced last month and we already have some defense engagements with the Philippines,' Šakaliene said. For his part, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the signing of MOU will put into concrete terms their intended actions for 'more advanced exchanges in a bigger scale in the coming years to come.' 'There is also a lot to learn from Lithuania in technology, in resilience, as the extensive topics that were stated by Her Excellency the Minister earlier, and we look forward to deepening our ties with Lithuania,' Teodoro said. The Philippines in the past years has expanded defense security cooperation with other countries amid the tensions with China in the West Philippines Sea. —KG, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
a day ago
- GMA Network
Chinese allegedly posing as Filipino arrested by BI in Camarines Norte
The BI says the arrested Chinese national is undergoing deportation proceedings. File photo A Chinese national allegedly pretending to be a Filipino was arrested by intelligence agents of the Bureau of Immigration (BI). The BI said it arrested Wu Zhishi, 45, in Daet, Camarines Norte on June 25, the BI said in a press release. The arrest was done in coordination with government intelligence operatives, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Presidential Anti Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), it added. Agents pretended to be customers in Wu's business prior to the arrest. Wu allegedly uses illegally acquired government-issued documents and claims to be a Filipino in various transactions. During the arrest, Wu presented an expired retiree's visa card and denied he assumed a fake Philippine identity. However, the BI said he reportedly used Philippine identification cards in securing a license to own and possess a firearm. Wu was transferred to the custody of the PAOCC. However, "[h]is legal custody remains with the BI as he undergoes deportation proceedings for violation of Philippine immigration laws," the BI said. BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado called on government agencies to tighten measures to ensure that only Filipinos get to secure Philippine IDs. 'We have raised this concern before and we are raising it again... There is a need to review policies on the issuance of Philippine documents to prevent this from happening again,' Viado said. —KG, GMA Integrated News
