Vice President Sara Duterte and her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, visited former president Rodrigo Duterte at the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, Netherlands on Friday, May 30, ahead of her 47th birthday.

Senator Imee Marcos, who was with Duterte in Qatar and The Hague, was unable to visit the former chief executive.

During a gathering with supporters outside the detention facility, the Vice President was asked by former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque about her and her mother’s visit with the elder Duterte.

“Iyong visit, na-late kami kanina, so 30 minutes late kami, so isang oras nalang iyong nagawa namin sa pagbisita namin. Pagdating namin ay nag-aantay na siya and masaya siya noong nakita niya kami kasi alam niya na nandoon kami (We were late during our visit earlier, we were 30 minutes late, so we were only able to visit for one hour. When we arrived, he was already waiting and he was happy when he saw us because we were there) to celebrate pre-birthday with him with my mother,” the official said.

The younger Duterte turns 47 on Saturday, May 31.

“As usual, binilhan ko din siya ng Coke Zero, hindi niya ininom, sabi niya ay dalhin lang daw niya sa kwarto iyong Coke Zero, pero isa lang ang pinabili niya (I bought him Coke Zero, he didn’t drink it, he said he will just bring the Coke Zero to his room, but he only wanted me to buy one),” she added.

The Vice President also shared a message from the former president to their family’s supporters.

“Yes, ang message niya (his message) is, ‘we are all ruled by destiny and I am here because of my destiny, whether rightly or wrongly,’” she said.

The younger Duterte once more informed her father personally about the fate of his Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) senatorial bets.

She already told the former president about reelectionist Senators Bong Go’s and Ronald Dela Rosa’s and Rep. Rodante Marcoleta’s respective wins in the recently held 2025 midterm elections over the phone, but she further discussed their wins in person.

She also informed the elder Duterte that PDP-Laban’s adopted candidates, Senator-elect Camille Villar and reelectionist Senator Imee Marcos, were able to secure their respective Senate seats.

The elder Duterte, who won as Davao City mayor despite being detained in The Hague, has yet to take his oath of office, something that their lawyers are already discussing as of the moment, the Vice President said.

“And isa pang update, napag-usapan din namin iyong oath niya, at pag-uusapan daw nila ng lawyers niya kung paano gawin ang kanyang oath (Another update is we also talked about his oath, he said he and his lawyers will talk about what to do about his oath),” she shared.

“Pero, initially and sinabi niya (But, initially what he said was), ‘I want... Set me free and I will take an oath’,” she added.

Prodded about the possibility of seeing the former chief executive back in the Philippines, the younger Duterte said their lawyers are currently working on how to bring him home.

“Actually, lahat tayo, no? Nag-aantay kung kailan makauwi si President Duterte (all of us, right? We are all waiting when [former] president Duterte can come home),” she said.

“At yun yung tinatrabaho ng kanyang mga lawyers na sana ay mangyari (And that’s what the lawyers are trying to do) at the soonest possible time dahil kaming mga taga Davao City ay kailangan namin ang mayor ng Davao City (because us in Davao City, we need our mayor of Davao City),” she added.

Aside from informing her father of Marcos’ win as a reelectionist senator, the younger Duterte also told him that the presidential sister is currently in The Hague but was unable to visit him.

She also kept the elder Duterte abreast of Marcos’ Senate committee on foreign relations’ findings on his arrest last March that was submitted to the Ombudsman.

“Unang-una, nagpasalamat siya. At pangalawa, sabi niya gusto nga daw niya sanang makausap si Senator Imee kaso hindi nga daw payagan pero sabi niya (First, he was thankful. Second, he said he wants to speak with Senator Imee but she was unfortunately not allowed but he said), ‘There will be another time for that’,” the Vice President said.

Only relatives and lawyers are allowed to visit a detainee in The Hague.

The younger Duterte, however, was quick to clarify that despite a meeting between the senator and the former president’s lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman, Marcos has “no role” in her father’s case.

“Ay, wala po. Wala pong role si Senator Imee sa case ni (Nothing. Senator Imee has no role in the case of) former president Rodrigo Duterte,” she said. “Wala siyang role po, either sa defense or doon sa ICC prosecution case, walang pong role si Senator Imee Marcos (She has no role, either in the defense or there in the ICC prosecution case, Senator Imee Marcos has no role).”