VICE President Sara Duterte denied claims circulating on social media that she had said her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, would be released from the International Criminal Court (ICC) next week, saying she never made such a statement.
Speaking to Filipino supporters in The Hague on Monday, July 28 (Central European Summer Time), Duterte said the claim stemmed from her speech during a rally in London, but maintained that neither her remarks nor the transcript stated that the former president would be released the following week.
“I did not say in my speech that former president Duterte would be released next week. I don’t know where that came from, but it is definitely not in the transcript,” Duterte said.
She said the ICC’s publicly available case calendar only shows the schedule for the trial proper, adding that there is no scheduled hearing on the former president’s release.
Duterte also gave an update on her father’s condition, saying he was in good spirits during her latest visit and had been receiving messages of support from Filipinos waiting outside the detention facility.
She said the former president asked supporters not to inconvenience themselves or spend money traveling to The Hague, but told them they should instead follow what was in their hearts.
The vice president added that the 81-year-old former president has been comfortable with the Netherlands’ summer weather because he prefers warmer temperatures, although the family remains concerned about the colder autumn and winter months.
