Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, the daughter of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, is on her way to the Netherlands to help her father.
He was arrested in Manila on a warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and flown to The Hague.
Rodrigo Duterte, who served as president from 2016 to 2022, was placed on a plane to face charges over alleged “crimes against humanity” stemming from a crackdown on drugs that killed thousands of people during his presidency.
Duterte, 79, could now become the first Asian former head of state to go on trial at the ICC.
Sara boarded a morning flight to Amsterdam, her office said in a statement. She is planning to help organise her father’s legal team in the Netherlands, local news outlet Rappler reported.
In an earlier statement, Sara said her father was “being forcibly taken to The Hague” in what amounted to “oppression and persecution”.
“This is a blatant affront to our sovereignty and an insult to every Filipino who believes in our nation’s independence,” she said.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has defended his government’s decision to facilitate the former president’s arrest and transfer to the ICC, saying it was “in compliance with our commitments to Interpol” – the international policing agency.
According to police records, more than 7,000 people were killed in official antidrug operations during his six years in office.
In the hours after Duterte’s arrest, family members and supporters of people killed during Duterte’s presidency held a candlelit vigil in Quezon City.
By Kalema
