Pro-Duterte supporters in Ilocos join Bring Duterte Home Movement

Supporters of Vice President Sara Duterte regrouped on Saturday in the Ilocos region to join the call for the release and return of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity.

Willie Martinez, convenor of the "Basta Sara" movement, stated that his group held a prayer rally in San Fernando, La Union, seeking divine intervention for the former president’s release.

“Basta Sara and the PDP Laban in Ilocos region have joined forces to mobilize prayer and candlelight events,” he said in a statement.

Martinez made this announcement after a pro-Duterte group in Cagayan Valley held a kilometer-long motorcade from Barangay Linao, passing through major streets in the city, followed by a birthday tribute to the former president, celebrating his “eight decades of great service to the Filipino people.”

The Tuguegarao motorcade, the largest in Cagayan Valley, coincided with events in Tampa, Florida, and other parts of the world.

The prayers and candlelight rallies will continue nationwide and internationally until former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte is released from the ICC detention facility in The Hague. Organizers made the announcement on Saturday.

On the same day, a motorcade was held in Tuguegarao City, followed by evening prayer and candlelight activities at Cagayan de Oro City's Rio De Oro Boulevard in Macasandig. Similar activities are planned in the Caraga region, Davao provinces, Cebu, and Mandaue.

The prayer rally in San Fernando, La Union coincided with events in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday (29 March) and Twin Lakes, Michigan, on Sunday, marking a 72-hour birthday celebration.

The "Basta Sara" movement is a parallel group to the now-defunct Marcos-Sara Duterte Alliance (MASADA), which spearheaded the 2022 campaign to unite the "Solid North" and "Solid South" in support of the Marcos-Duterte tandem. The group had also encouraged then-Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte to run for president in the 2022 elections.