The vice-president described the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte for his deadly drug war as “oppression”.
The Vice-President of the Philippines, Sara Duterte, the daughter of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, is on his way to the Netherlands to help her father after being arrested in Manila on mandate by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and transported to The Hague.
Rodrigo Duterte, who was president of 2016 to 2022, was placed on an plane on Tuesday a few hours after his arrest at Manila airport for “crimes against humanity” alleged resulting from a repression against drugs that killed thousands of people during his presidency.
Duterte, 79, could now become the first former Asian Head of State to be tried at the ICC.
Sara went on a morning flight to Amsterdam, her office announced on Wednesday in a statement. She plans to help organize her father’s legal team in the Netherlands, reported local.
In a previous statement, Sara said that her father “was forcibly taken to The Hague” in what was equivalent to “oppression and persecution”.
“It is a blatant affront to our sovereignty and an insult to each Philippin who believes in the independence of our nation,” she said.
According to the Rappler report, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr defended his government’s decision to facilitate the arrest of the former president and the transfer to the ICC, affirming that it was “in accordance with our commitments to Interpol” – the international police agency.
The youngest daughter of Duterte, Veronica Duterte, plans to file a Habeas Corpus request to the Supreme Court Philippine to force the government to bring her father, said the former legal adviser in Duterte, Salvador Painlo.
Silvestre Bello, former Minister of Labor and one of the president’s former lawyers, said that a legal team would meet to assess the options and request the clarity of the former president will be taken and if they are granted to him.
“The first thing we will do is discover where exactly the former president will be brought, so we know where we have to go, because he will need legal aid,” said Bello.
“We will also discuss all possible legal appeals.”
Sara’s journey to The Hague occurs a month after being charged by the Congress Philippines in the middle of a growing flaw with Marcos Jr.
The vote came after the legislators, many of whom are Marcos allies, signed a petition to withdraw it from its functions.
Although the exact details were not shared, the accusation vote followed a series of complaints accusing the vice-president of crimes ranging from the abusive use of public funds to plot Marcos’ assassination.
Sara has always denied reprehensible acts and described movements against her as a political vendetta.
While the ICC has not yet published an official declaration on the specific accusations against its father, the Court investigates allegations of “crimes against humanity” committed by Duterte since 2018, when it was still in power.
Duterte introduced himself to the presidency in 2016 on a single question of Fighting Crime in the Philippines.
During his campaign and later as president, he has repeatedly urged the police to “kill” drug suspects, or encouraged the suspects to retaliate to justify their own fatal fire.
According to the police archives, more than 7,000 people were killed in official anti -croste operations during its six years in power.
In the hours following the arrest of Duterte, family members and supporters of people killed during the presidency of Duterte organized a candle vigil at Quezon City.
Their signs of protest called for justice for the victims of the so-called war against drugs, anti-preserve laws and martial law in Mindanao.
