While former president Rodrigo Duterte’s defense team at the International Criminal Court (ICC) will include a Filipino lawyer, Vice President Sara Duterte said that they have not shortlisted anyone yet.
Vice President Sara Duterte and former president Rodrigo Duterte (Screenshot from Bong Go, Veronica Duterte Facebook pages)
“Wala pa pong Filipino lawyers ngayon, 'yon ay ginagawan pa ng shortlist sa ngayon (There are no Filipino lawyers yet right now, we are still coming up with a shortlist),” she said on Monday, March 24, during an interview in The Hague (Netherlands time), where she has been staying since her father’s arrest to help him form his legal team.
The Vice President related that there is a process that they should follow in forming a legal team to represent her father before the ICC, where he is currently facing crimes against humanity of murder for his administration’s bloody war on drugs campaign.
“Dito lang kasi sa ICC hindi pa mabuo yung team kasi (We cannot form the team here at the ICC yet because) we are waiting for papers for other lawyers, so iyon ang kailangan kong matapos (that’s what I need to finish),” she explained.
After forming her father’s defense team, she would also need to introduce the lawyer to the former president, as well as to her siblings—Paolo, Sebastian, and Veronica—and to Honeylet Avanceña, his common-law wife.
“Just until I get all the lawyers appointed by the court they need to be vetted, cleared by the court and once they’re all appointed then I can come and go already," Duterte said, noting that she’ll just come back to The Hague when needed.
Birthday picnic
With the elder Duterte’s 80th birthday coming up, the Vice President urged his supporters to organize and conduct a “picnic” instead of a rally where they would have to seek permission from the Dutch authorities.
During a meeting with the executive committee of the organizers that she attended, she thanked them for their effort in organizing the rally last Sunday, March 23, to show support for the former chief executive.
However, the younger Duterte discouraged them from holding another rally or protest.
“Ang suggestion ko sa kanila maybe mag-kanya-kanya tayo na lang ng picnic kung gusto nyo ng ganun at walang program (My suggestion is maybe we can have a picnic without a program anymore),” she said.
“It’s just a birthday picnic and then you can gather… mag table-hopping na lang siguro ‘yung mga tao. Pagalingan at pasarapan ng pagkain (they can just table hop. Compete for the best food),” she added.
Honeylet, Kitty visit
The Vice President said she’ll be “free that day [March 28] whatever that you want to do” because she’s relinquishing her visiting hours to her sister, Veronica (Kitty), and to her father’s partner, Honeylet.
Their father, she added, is only allowed two visits per day—one from his lawyer and one from family members.
“Dahil limited lang ‘yung time ni Cielito (Honeylet) na maka-stay dito dahil merong siyang mga negosyo na kailangan asikasuhin, hindi nya pwedeng pabayaan ang hanapbuhay nya. At si Veronica naman ay nag-aaral so kailangan din niyang umuwi. Hindi sya pwedeng magtagal ng absent (Cielito [Honeylet] has limited time to stay here because she has businesses, she cannot neglect her business. Veronica is studying so she needs to return home. She cannot be absent for long),” she explained.
The family decided to give all the family visit schedule to Avanceña and Veronica while they are there because they have limited time to visit compared to her, the official shared.
“Okay lang wala kaming problemang magkakapatid. Yung nanay namin ang merong problema (We’re okay as siblings. It’s our mothers who have a problem),” she said, eliciting laughter from Duterte supporters surrounding her.
Her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, on the other hand, will be arriving on March 28 or 29 but it is not clear yet if she has already applied for an ICC permit to visit her ex-husband.