Former president Rodrigo Duterte (ICC Photo)
Former president Rodrigo Duterte has expressed his condolences to families affected by the recent disasters, especially those who lost their loved ones during Typhoons Tino and Uwan.
In an interview, Vice President Sara Duterte said she last spoke with the former president in between the two typhoons, and that he remains updated on the situation in the Philippines despite being held at the International Criminal Court (ICC) Detention Centre in The Hague.
“Nasa isip niya kayong lahat sa panahon ng inyong kagipitan at kalungkutan (He is thinking of all of you during this time of hardship and grief),” she said Friday, Nov. 14.
According to her, the former president also conveyed sympathy to those who lost loved ones and to families still searching for relatives swept away or unaccounted for after the successive typhoons.
“Pinapaabot niya yung kanyang condolences sa mga pamilyang namatayan at mga pamilyang hanggang ngayon ay hinahanap pa rin yung kanilang mga mahal sa buhay (He extends his condolences to the bereaved families and to those still looking for their missing loved ones),” the Vice President said.
Meanwhile, Vice President Duterte assured the public that the former president is “okay,” after his camp cited his supposedly failing health and memory in their appeal to the ICC to suspend his confirmation of charges hearing originally scheduled in September.
Duterte was transferred to ICC custody in March this year following the reopening of the tribunal’s investigation into alleged crimes against humanity tied to the drug war. His communication with relatives and Philippine officials has been limited to scheduled calls and visits.
Asked if she plans to visit her father in the Netherlands before the year ends, the Vice President said “wala pa pong schedule (no schedule yet)” for her next trip to The Hague.