THE HAGUE, The Netherlands — Vice President Sara Duterte assured her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, that he would be able to see and greet his supporters who gathered in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) during his first appearance before the court.

“Darating din tayo diyan. Pero sa ngayon, ibigay mo muna sa akin ang mensahe mo para sa kanila,” Sara said to their family’s supporters, quoting her father with whom she was allowed to meet only after the pre-trial meeting on March 14.

(We will reach that point. But for now, just give me your message for them.)

“Sabi niya, ‘Relax lang, may hangganan ang lahat. A day of reckoning will come.”

(He said, 'Just relax, everything has an end.)

'Vice President ako'

In her public speech before a largely Filipino crowd, Sara took a swipe at the current administration when asked by a member of the crowd how she felt about being betrayed.

“Ang pinakamabuti na gawin natin is moving forward. Hindi na tayo puwedeng bumalik at bawiin 'yung boto natin. Pero moving forward … [ang] lagi kong sinasabi, ‘Huwag ibenta ang boto.’”

(The best thing we can do is moving forward. We can no longer go back and withdraw our vote. But moving forward... what I am always saying is, 'Do not sell your vote.')

“Gusto ko man na gumawa tayo ng time machine, iniisip ko talaga lagi 'yung pinagdadananan ko,” Sara said. She referred to how she couldn’t have an “office” had she gone on with her initial plan of running as mayor of Davao City in 2022, and that “pinks and yellows” could have continued with filing cases against her father before the ICC.

(Even if I wanted us to have a time machine, I just think always about what I went through.)

"Pero Vice President ako, ‘yan ang malaki nilang problema ngayon, dahil kailangan nila akong alisin sa puwesto para magawa nila ang kagustuhan nilang huwag nang bumaba sa puwesto."

(But I am the Vice President. That is their biggest problem now because they have to remove me from my post so they can fulfill their wish to stay in power.)

Purpose

Sara addressed a question about her political plans for 2028, to which she said, “Do we still have a country by 2028?”

“The way we are moving now is palubog na tayo nang palubog. Pero maniwala lang kayo sa Diyos dahil makikita niyong ang lahat ng bagay ay may purpose.”

(The way we are moving now is we are sinking further and further. But just trust God because you will see that each thing has a purpose.)

GMA Integrated News asked Sara about what could be the purpose of her father’s ICC arrest, and what it could mean for her.

“I have not reflected on it yet. It is his life. I think he should be the one to sit down and think, ‘What is my takeaway? How can I move forward and learn from this experience?’”

“From the time na nasa Hong Kong kami, hanggang nangyari 'yung kidnapping sa Manila, hanggang sa sinundan ko si [former] President Duterte dito sa The Hague (From the time that we were in Hong Kong until the kidnapping in Manila, until the time I followed former President Duterte here in The Hague), I was always giving solutions to the problems that came up along the way. So, [they] made me more resilient and I think it’s preparing me for something bigger than what is happening right now."

Problem in the country

Sara also directed a message to Filipinos back home, urging them not to be distracted by the ICC proceedings, and look at the issues in the country.

“The problem in the country isn’t the Dutertes,” she said.

When asked about the anti-Duterte protesters in The Hague, Sara said that she has been respectful of their right to freedom of speech and expression.

“I do not agree with them but it is their right. Lagi naman nating sinasabi 'di ba na (We always say) 'you cannot control what they will say about you but you can control how you react to what they say about you," Sara said.

The vice president left the Philippines on Wednesday morning headed for the Netherlands, a day after her father was arrested for alleged crimes against humanity by virtue of a warrant issued by the ICC. The former president was brought to a detention center in The Hague.

The ICC has been investigating the former president and other top officials of his administration for crimes against humanity over the alleged systematic drug war deaths in police operations.

These deaths reached around 6,000 based on police records, but human rights groups contend that the deaths were as much as 30,000, including vigilante killings.

The Philippine government wants to ensure that the former president would have a fair trial in the ICC over crimes against humanity charges, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said Friday. 

(Reports from Andy Peñafuerte III and Jay-vee Marasigan Pangan)