Sara pays her old man yet another visit

Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday visited her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, at the International Criminal Court (ICC) Detention Center in The Hague, Netherlands.

She shared brief updates on her father’s condition, family matters, and politics during her visit.

“Well, today is a good day. We had a good discussion on politics. We talked a little about family, but mostly about politics and what is happening,” she told reporters in Filipino.

Duterte, however, said they did not discuss the ICC’s rejection of the interim release request.

“He did not mention it. I did not bring it up because I did not want to be the one to raise it,” she said.

The ICC Appeals Chamber on Friday denied Duterte’s appeal of an earlier ruling rejecting his request for interim release.

The former president remains detained in The Hague on charges of alleged crimes against humanity stemming from drug war killings during his administration.

In a statement, the Duterte family said it has accepted the ICC Appeals Chamber’s ruling denying the petition.

“The family accepts the ICC Appeals Chamber’s decision with peaceful hearts,” the statement read.

The family added that they will continue working with Duterte’s defense team and supporting the former president through what they called their “daily conversations.”

“We thank everyone who prayed with us today,” they said.

Meanwhile, Vice President Duterte criticized the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for claiming that a family can prepare a decent Noche Buena meal with P500.

“It is not true that P500 is enough for Noche Buena. For a long time, P500 has not been enough for a family’s Noche Buena. In fact, the packs we distribute during Christmas cost around P2,100 — that includes spaghetti and salad,” she said.

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque earlier clarified that the P500 Noche Buena budget was only for a basic Christmas meal for a small family.