President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. expressed happiness over his role in helping to mend the relationship between Vice President Sara Duterte and her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
While in The Hague, Sara Duterte thanked Marcos for his role in bringing the Duterte family back together. This came after the arrest and turnover of the former president to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 11 March to face charges of crimes against humanity in relation to the war on drugs.
In response, Marcos was quoted as saying, “Glad, I could help,” according to Palace Press Officer Claire Castro.
This statement followed a recent Facebook Live broadcast by Attorney Harry Roque, who is currently in The Hague. During the broadcast, Vice President Duterte shared how her father's situation has led to a renewed bond between them.
Duterte revealed that more meaningful time has been spent with her father during her visits to the ICC's detention facility in Scheveningen, The Hague.
"This is really ironic because I have to thank Bongbong Marcos. There was forgiveness between me and PRD for all that has happened in our lives, and now we have a father-daughter relationship. We can no longer discuss legal matters because only the lawyers are allowed to do that inside, but this has given us time to reconnect," she shared.
She went on to say that this is the first time she has had such long, uninterrupted moments with her father, focusing solely on personal matters instead of political or legal discussions.
"So we only talk about family, and this has been the longest conversation I’ve ever had with him. Growing up, he was always busy with work, busy serving the country. Now, I get to have this time with him every day — talking about life, talking about family — and for that, I feel blessed," she explained.
Despite her father's ongoing legal battle at the ICC, the former presidential daughter remains hopeful and optimistic that her family will be able to overcome the current challenge.
"At this point, he's already (inaudible) and when he returns as mayor, he may become busy with his work again... But for now, we’ve been given this time to talk. It’s just sad that it had to happen inside the ICC, but yes, thank you to him," she added.