Sara Duterte 'multitasking' as VP, dad Rodrigo's aide in The Hague

Sara Duterte says that she is in constant communication with her executives at the OVP even if she is currently in the Netherlands to assist her father.

She says she has a return ticket to the PH in April, but there's no specific date yet when she will go home. @gmanews

— Giselle Ombay (@giselleombay_) March 20, 2025

Vice President Sara Duterte assured the public Thursday that her work in the Office of the Vice President (OVP) continues even while she’s in the Netherlands to provide assistance to her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte who is detained there.

Sara said this in reaction to the statement of Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro that she should not forget her duty with Filipinos as vice president, and that she should continue to work for them.

“Multitasking ako. Andito ako as Vice President, ginagawan ng paraan paano maibalik ang dating Pangulo sa ating bayan. Nagta-trabaho ako through our satellite offices, through our central office at the OVP. Tuloy tuloy ang serbisyo namin para sa bayan,” she said at a virtual press conference.

(I’m multitasking. I am here as Vice President, working on ways to bring the former President home, and I also work through our satellite offices, through our central office at the OVP. Our service to the Filipinos continues.)

“Wala po akong balak na tumira dito sa the Netherlands. Hindi ko gusto tumagal dito. Madami akong kailangang asikasuhin—trabaho dito, trabaho diyan sa Pilipinas. At alam ko kung paano mag-balanse ng trabaho,” she added.

(I have no intention of living here in the Netherlands. I don't want to stay here for long. I have a lot to take care of—my work here, my work in the Philippines. And I know how to balance work.)

The Vice President also said that she is in constant communication with her undersecretaries and assistant secretaries in OVP, pending her return from the Netherlands.

She also stressed that her being in the European country since last week should be seen as assistance to a fellow Filipino who is in need of help.

“As Vice President, may duty din ako sa isang kababayan natin, isang Filipino citizen who is held against his will dito sa ICC detention center. ‘Wag na nating isipin na tatay ko siya. Isipin na lang natin na VP ako at gumagawa ako ng paraan kung paano maibalik natin ang isang Filipino citizen sa ating bayan,” she said.

(As Vice President, I also have a duty to a fellow countryman, a Filipino citizen who is held against his will here in the ICC detention center. Let's not think of him as my father. Let's think of it in a way that as the vice president, I’m doing ways on how to bring a Filipino citizen back to our country.)

Impeachment

Likewise, Sara Duterte said that she also has a separate legal team working on matters regarding her impeachment by the House of Representatives.

She said her lawyers are currently preparing potential witnesses and answers to the seven Articles of Impeachment against her.

“Both cases will continue—the ICC case here will obviously continue… ‘Yung impeachment case ay tutuloy din at ang paniguraduhin ko lang ay may grupo ng abogado na nakatutok doon sa dalawang kaso na ‘yun. Ang sa akin nalang naman ay consultation at decision making,” she explained.

(Both cases will continue—the ICC case here will obviously continue… The impeachment case will also continue, and I can assure you that there are groups of lawyers focused on those two cases. What they only need from me is consultation and decision making.)

The Vice President also said that she has a return ticket back to the Philippines in April, but there's no definite date yet when she will go home.

She left the country on March 12 to fly to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, following the arrest of her father for alleged crimes against humanity.

Updates

She also gave updates about the health condition of her father, who was reportedly brought to a hospital facility of the Hague Penitentiary Institution due to health concerns.

“I don’t see any serious health problems at the moment sa kanya. All that I see ay yung dala ng katandaan,” Sara said.

(I don’t see any serious health problems at the moment with him. All the health issues I see are only the result of old age.)

It was former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque who disclosed Monday that the elder Duterte was brought to the "clinic" of the ICC’s detention facility in The Hague to have his condition monitored.

The Vice President also said that former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea is still in a hospital after he reportedly collapsed. Meanwhile, she said Roque is now set to file his application for asylum in the Netherlands. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News