Vice President Sara Duterte expressed optimism that her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention center in The Hague, Netherlands, will be granted interim release due to his age and health condition.

“For now, we’re hoping the case will be dismissed based on the jurisdictional filings, and in the meantime, that he will be granted interim release while the lawyers and prosecutors continue to argue in court. He should be granted interim release because of his age and health,” Duterte said in an interview with SMNI News on Friday, speaking from The Hague.

Duterte, however, said she cannot provide a definite timeline or assess the likelihood of the former president being allowed to return to Davao City.

“I’ve already asked Atty. Kaufman to make himself available to Philippine media so that he can answer the questions of our countrymen and the supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte,” she added.

Earlier, Duterte’s defense team requested the ICC to hold an urgent status conference before its summer recess begins on July 25. They said it would help determine whether the scheduled timeline for the confirmation of charges hearing remains feasible.

The confirmation of charges hearing is set for September 23. The ICC judges will then have up to 60 days to decide whether the case will proceed to trial.

“I have no access to the documents of the lawyers. As I said earlier, we already asked Atty. Kaufman to be available not only to Philippine media but to all interested media outlets who want to inquire about former President Duterte’s case,” she said.

Duterte also shared that her father remains in “good mood,” though he looks “messy” with his long beard and mustache.

“He was okay earlier. He’s just a bit messy—I told him to shave. His beard and mustache are messy,” she said.

She also revealed that the former president is undecided about what to do with his graying hair.

“He still can’t decide whether to go all white or to continue dyeing it. He said sometimes in the morning when he looks in the mirror, he wants to go fully white, but on other days, he wants to keep dyeing it. So, he hasn’t made a decision about his hair color,” Duterte said.

She added that her father requested a haircut last Tuesday and that they have submitted the request to the detention unit.

“Last time, I was the one who cut his nails. The two of us trimmed his nails together. We’ve also submitted a request for a manicure and pedicure,” she said.

“I just wasn’t able to ask if it’s been done, but his nails were already short last Tuesday because we fixed them,” she added.