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'Multitasking ako': Sara defends continued Netherlands stay to help dad prepare for ICC trial

March 21, 2025 | 11:39am

'Multitasking ako': Sara defends continued Netherlands stay to help dad prepare for ICC trial

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte (on screen) attends the hearing of the Committee of Foreign Affairs via Zoom following the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, at the Senate in Pasay, metro Manila on March 20, 2025. Duterte faces a charge of "the crime against humanity of murder", according to the ICC, for a crackdown that rights groups estimate killed tens of thousands of mostly poor men, often without proof they were linked to drugs.

AFP / Jam Sta Rosa

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte insisted on Thursday, March 20, that her duties at the Office of the Vice President remain uninterrupted despite her prolonged absence from the Philippines as she stays in The Hague, Netherlands.

Responding to Malacañang's advice for her to return to the country, Duterte said she is managing her office remotely through daily communication with staff while also coordinating former President Rodrigo Duterte's legal defense at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"Hindi ko nakakalimutan ang aking trabaho dyan sa office of the Vice President. Araw-araw kami nag-uusap ng aking mga kasamahan. Iilan na lang ang naiwan na projects dahil approximately P700M ang budget namin dyan," Duterte told reporters through a virtual press conference.

(I am not neglecting my work there at the Office of the Vice President. Every day, I talk to my staff. Only a few projects remain because our budget there is approximately P700 million.)

The vice president flew to the Netherlands a day after the arrest of the elder Duterte, who was swiftly transferred to The Hague through a chartered plane. In an earlier interview, she noted that her visa allows her to remain in the Netherlands until April 30.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said during a press briefing a day earlier that the vice president should consider returning to the Philippines to fulfill her duties to the "millions of Filipinos" who she vowed to serve.

The Presidential Communications Office undersecretary also said Duterte should return and directly address new allegations of irregularities in her office's use of confidential and intelligence funds.

But Duterte ruled out an early return to the Philippines, saying she still needed to finalize the team of lawyers who will serve as her father's counsel for his upcoming ICC trial.

"I perfectly understand that. In fact, I don't want to stay here because my children and my family are in the Philippines, and my work is in the Philippines," Duterte said when asked about the Palace's call for her to return to the country.

Though she confirmed she had already booked a return flight in April, Duterte told reporters she does not yet know when she would return to the Philippines.

The vice president framed her presence in The Hague as part of her official duties to assist a Filipino citizen rather than acting solely as the former president's daughter.

She said she has an obligation as vice president to to assemble the former president's defense team to allow him to be released from detention.

"Let's not think about him as my father. Let's think that I am the vice president and I am finding ways to bring back a Filipino citizen to our country," she said.

In the same press conference, however, Duterte also admitted that her father was unlikely to return to the Philippines.

OVP projects focused on education

The vice president explained that most of her ongoing projects at the OVP are education-focused and tied to the academic calendar. She said this allows her to coordinate preparations remotely.

"At 'yung projects namin karamihan ay magdidepende sa end of school year ng mga kabataan dahil nakatutok kami sa advokasya namin sa edukasyon. So ang preparations namin ay before magbukas ang bagong school year sa mga gida areas ng mga public schools natin," she said.

(And most of our projects will depend on the end of the school year for the youth because we are focused on our advocacy for education. So our preparations are before the opening of the new school year in the guided areas of our public schools.)

Temporary stay

The vice president stressed that her extended stay abroad is temporary, saying: "Wala po akong balak na tumira dito sa the Netherlands. Hindi ko gusto tumagal dito pero madami akong kailangan na sikasuhin. Trabaho dito, trabaho dyan sa Pilipinas."

(I have no plans to live here in the Netherlands. I don't want to stay here long, but I have many things to take care of. Work here, work there in the Philippines.)

"So yes, multitasking ako. Nandito ako as vice president, ginagawa ng paraan paano maibalik ang ating dating pangulo sa ating bayan," she said. "Nagtatrabaho ako through our satellite offices, through our central office of the Office of the Vice President. Tuloy-tuloy ang serbisyo namin para sa bayan."

(So yes, I am multitasking. I am here as vice president, finding ways how to bring back our former president to our country. I am working through our satellite offices, through our central office of the Office of the Vice President. Our service for the country continues.)

The elder Duterte faces trial at the ICC for alleged crimes against humanity related to his brutal anti-illegal drugs campaign as president, and earlier, as Davao City mayor.

The ICC is alleging that Duterte is "an alleged indirect co-perpetrator for the crime against humanity of murder" over 43 drug-related killings from 2011 to 2019.

Families of victims of extrajudicial killings have welcomed the former president's arrest — a development they believe will end their years-long wait for true accountability and justice.