Veronica "Kitty" Duterte and her mother, Honeylet Avanceña, arrived in The Hague, Netherlands at past 12 noon on Wednesday, March 26 (Netherlands time), to visit former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained there for crimes against humanity of murder.
Kitty Duterte (center) and Honeylet Avanceña (right) arrive in The Hague to visit ex-president Rodrigo Duterte. (Screengrab from Andy Peñafuerte III's video via Facebook)
The former president’s youngest daughter and common-law wife were seen outside the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague two days before the 80th birthday of Duterte on March 28.
However, videos posted on social media showed the two leaving a little over an hour after arriving, with reports saying that they failed to see the former president.
Kitty, in a chance interview, thanked their family’s supporters.
“For all the Filipino community around Europe, around the world, maraming maraming salamat sa suporta (thank you very much for the support) from me and my family,” she told The Filipino Correspondent Network.
“We are grateful for you and sana po hindi kayo tumigil hanggang makauwi si former president Duterte (I hope you don’t stop until former president Duterte is home),” she added.
Kitty also shared her birthday wish for her father. She wished the ex-president will eat his food while in ICC detention.
"Good health at sana kumain na siya [ng] pagkain diyan sa loob at hindi maging matigas ang ulo (and I hope he will eat his food there and won't be stubborn)," she in One News report.
Kitty and her mother are also expected to celebrate the former president’s birthday with him in the detention facility on Friday.
Outside, Vice President Sara Duterte, the former president’s daughter with ex-wife Elizabeth Zimmerman, is expected to spend time with Duterte’s supporters who are planning either a rally or a picnic gathering.
The Vice President earlier said that their family has decided to let Kitty and her mother spend time with the former president while they’re in The Hague.
“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.
She decided to relinquish her visiting hours to her half-sister as she has limited time to visit their father.
“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 added.
It can be recalled that both Kitty and Avanceña were with the former president in Hong Kong, as well as in the flight going back to Manila, before his arrest on March 11 upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The 79-year-old former leader will stand trial for crimes against humanity of murder in relation to his administration’s so-called drug war that killed thousands of mostly poor Filipinos through allegedly government-sanctioned killings.