Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte (right) and former president Rodrigo Duterte. ARCHIVE

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has warned supporters of her father, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, against unauthorized fundraising efforts purportedly meant to support his legal case before the International Criminal Court (ICC). Speaking to reporters outside the ICC detention center on Friday (April 4), Duterte said in Filipino, “I want people to know that we do not accept donations, nor are we asking for money and we have not authorized anyone to accept money on behalf of the family.” The former president, currently in detention, is facing charges related to his controversial anti-drug campaign. His daughter emphasized that all family members are covering their own costs through personal income and business ventures. “Our arrangement is we pay for our own expenses. We don’t ask money from each other. We have also talked about selling assets, if necessary, to support our expenses here,” she said. Duterte described her father as being in strong spirits despite the circumstances, attributing his resilience to regular visits from a doctor assigned by the ICC and moral support from his family and Filipino supporters who continue to hold vigil outside the facility. “Her visits are frequent because of his age because she understands his medical conditions that need to be monitored,” she said of the attending physician, adding, “We just have to trust their healthcare programs and their professionals.” While she had no scheduled personal visit that day, the Vice President delivered documents requested by officials at the detention unit and was allowed a phone call with her father. “We are only allowed to speak in English because all our conversations are recorded,” she explained. According to her, Duterte expressed gratitude to the supporters outside the center. “Please tell them thank you. Tell them that everything I did, I did for my country,” she quoted him as saying. Sara also expressed concern about the case’s future under the current administration. “I am not hopeful of the case of president Duterte under the Marcos administration,” she said, though she noted that the legal team is exhausting all avenues of defense. With her task of document submission complete, she said she is preparing to return to the Philippines. “My task is done. I’m excited ,” she said. Upon her return, she added that she will explore how she can help the PDP-Laban party ahead of the midterm elections. CAM/Expat Media
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