Vice President Sara Duterte advised her family to secure their valuables in case a search warrant is done by authorities on their homes, and told them not to fight against it anymore.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte enjoys a rare complete family dinner with his ex-wife Elizabeth Zimmerman and their three children: Vice President Sara Duterte, Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte, and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte in a house last Aug. 15, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Duterte Family)
“Yes, I heard about that. The search warrant applied for all the houses, all our houses, of all the members of the family. And I mentioned that to my siblings that you don’t have control over this anymore,” she said when she faced the media in The Hague on Saturday, March 15 (Manila time).
“So I just told them that just secure your valuables and then just allow them to do the search and then we expect that there will be planted evidence inside the houses. So I told them that we’ll just have to face that as well,” she added.
Duterte claimed that what’s happening to their family is the “template” done to dismissed congressman Arnie Teves, who is currently hiding in Timor-Leste amid multiple murder charges for the alleged killing of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo and others.
“So, I told them that it's pointless to fight so just allow it to happen. It does not mean that search is illegal but I told them that no one should be hurt, no one should resist, just allow them to do whatever that is --- that isn’t illegal,” she said.
The Vice President is currently in The Hague to attend to her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, who was arrested last March 11 under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant of arrest on crimes against humanity of murder.
Her brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, earlier said that he received “verified information” that search warrants were issued on the former president’s home and his family.
This was denied by Police Regional Office-11 (PRO-11) spokesperson Police Major Catherine Del Rey.
The elder Duterte was arrested on March 11 after his arrival from Hong Kong at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
He was sent to the Netherland via a chartered plane on the same day and arrived at The Hague on March 12 (Manila time).
The former president is now at the ICC detention center in Scheveningen, The Hague.
Last Friday, March 14, he faced the Pre-Trial Chamber virtually for the reading of charges against him.