Sara: No Digong ICC release soon

Vice President Sara Duterte dismissed online claims that her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, would soon be released from International Criminal Court (ICC) custody.

Duterte said social media posts linking a planned rally in London to the former president’s possible return to the Philippines had misrepresented her earlier remarks.

“We all know, and we can all see on the ICC’s website, the schedule of his case,” Duterte told reporters in a chance interview in The Hague, Netherlands.

“As we can see, there is no hearing scheduled for the rallies. The only scheduled proceeding is the trial proper,” she added.

Trial on sked

The 81-year-old former president remains detained at the ICC as judges move forward with proceedings over allegations of crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s anti-drug campaign. Duterte has denied wrongdoing.

The ICC has scheduled the opening of his trial for 30 November after judges ruled that the case would proceed. Prosecutors have accused Duterte and others of responsibility for killings carried out during the government’s war on illegal drugs, which rights groups say resulted in thousands of deaths.

Asked about her father’s condition following his court appearance, Duterte said the former president remained in good spirits and appeared happy during their meeting.

“Very good. Very happy ang mood President Duterte,” she said.