Sara wraps up Hague mission, sets return

Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday said her work in The Hague was finished and she was ready to return to the Philippines.

“My work here is done. What you saw earlier, I placed it in a green envelope. That was the last document requested from me by the ICC [International Criminal Court] detention unit,” Duterte said in Filipino.

She also said her father’s legal team was now complete. Her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, is under detention at the ICC on a crimes against humanity charge stemming from his war on drugs from 2011 to 2018.

“We’ve also formed the legal team, the new lawyer, one of whom I met with President Duterte today,” the Vice President said.

“We’ve also arranged the lawyers’ schedules and the liaison system, determining who will handle legal matters and who will discuss President Duterte’s needs inside [the detention unit],” she added.

Duterte said they have finalized the schedule for the next few months. “So that’s April and May,” she said.

“Right now, Veronica is here. The next to arrive will be Paolo, Congressman Pulong Duterte. He has just received approval of of his visa. We are thankful for the assistance of the Dutch Embassy in the Philippines in helping him get his visa to come here,” the Vice President added. Veronica, or Kitty, is the youngest Duterte sibling.

The VP could not confirm, however, if her younger brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, will be coming to The Hague to visit their father.

“Supposedly, he is next. After Congressman Pulong leaves, he (Sebastian) should come here to The Hague,” she said.

“So, whatever visits are allowed family members there will at least always be one coming to see President Duterte and provide him with updates on what is happening outside, what is happening with us, with our country,” the Vice President said.

Sara: Sarcasm lost on him

Meanwhile, the Vice President said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. didn’t get her “sarcasm” when she thanked him for the renewed relationship with her father.

“I think the sarcasm was lost on him. He probably didn’t understand me,” she told reporters.

Marcos had earlier said he was “glad to be of help” after Duterte thanked him for bringing her and her father closer together following the latter’s arrest.

“He probably doesn’t understand that his duty and obligation are to the country, not to resolve the personal problems of families. The sarcasm was lost on him,” the Vice President said.

Duterte had expressed her gratitude to Marcos after she and her father were reconciled in The Hague.

“And we now have a relationship — a father-daughter relationship — as we can no longer discuss legal matters since it is understood that only the lawyers can address legal issues with the former president,” Sara told the media after visiting her father on Tuesday.

Duterte said the time spent with her father has been invaluable, providing one of the few opportunities they’ve had to discuss family matters.

“So, we only talk about family. This has been one of the longest meetings I’ve had with the former president,” she said.

AFP assures protection for VP

In another development, the Armed Forces of the Philippines clarified on Saturday that the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group was reorganized and not deactivated as reported on social media.

In a statement, the AFP explained the VPSPG was integrated into the AFP Security and Protection Group as part of the “rationalization and streamlining” approved by the Department of National Defense in February 2025.

The AFP emphasized that this “administrative adjustment” was made to unify security and protection operations.

“The reorganization ensures the continued, uninterrupted, and robust protection of the Vice President within a more integrated and optimized framework,” the AFP said.