VICE PRESIDENT Sara Duterte said Filipinos should not allow foreign control in their own land as what the Marcos administration had done when it whisked former President Rodrigo Duterte to The Netherlands to face the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Speaking to the media at Villamor Airbase, Duterte emphasized Filipino sovereignty, stating, “Kung Pilipino ka, hindi ka kailanman susunod sa mga dayuhan sa loob ng sarili mong bayan. (If you are a Filipino, you must never be subservient to foreigners in your homeland). We are not Filipinos for nothing.”
Duterte quoted her ICC lawyer as saying that what happened to the former president was unprecedented. “It is craziness,” she said, adding that the Philippines is no longer a member of the ICC following its withdrawal from the Rome Statute.
When asked to comment on Mr. Marcos’ late broadcast, explaining how the Philippine government only stayed true to its commitments to Interpol when it handed over Duterte, the vice president remarked: “Ano pa ba ang aasahan natin sa mga statements? Nakita naman natin yung panggigipit nila (What else can we expect from their statements? We’ve seen how we’re persecuted).
“Nakakalungkot nasaan kaba makahanap ng bayan na mismong citizen ibigay sa ibang bansa (It’s a pity. Where can you find a country surrendering its own citizen to another nation)?,” she further said.
She also shared a warning from her mother, who advised her to be cautious and prepare as she might be next.
However, the vice president maintained that she is ready to face any potential charges against her.
On the evening of Tuesday, March 11, VP Sara Duterte addressed the media after authorities arrested her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in connection with charges of crimes against humanity.
The next day, the vice president and her brother, congressman Paolo Duterte, flew out of the country to join their father in the Netherlands.
