Vice President Sara Duterte said she was open to attending future Senate hearings regarding the arrest of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, as she prepares to return to the Philippines.

Speaking to reporters at The Hague, the Vice President said Senator Imee Marcos invited her to the second hearing but was unable to attend due to her busy schedule and the six-hour time difference.

"Unfortunately, the last four days dito, medyo hectic na siya kasi tinatapos na namin yung organization at sistema (Unfortunately, the last four days here have been hectic because we were finishing the organization and system)," she said.

"At tsaka 3 a.m. kasi sa oras natin dito yung kanilang hearing doon. So medyo mahirap talaga siya para sa akin na umattend (So it was really difficult for me to attend the second hearing because it was at 3 a.m. here)," she added.

Despite this, Vice President Duterte said she was willing to participate in future inquiries if the committee required her input.

"Kung meron namang future hearings na meron silang tanong sa akin, tulad ng kung anong nangyari sa Hong Kong or anong nangyari pagdating ni [dating] pangulong Duterte sa Manila, willing naman po ako sumagot (If there are future hearings where they have questions for me, like what happened in Hong Kong or what happened when [former] president Duterte arrived in Manila, I am willing to answer)," she said.

The Senate hearing, led by Senator Imee Marcos, the sister of President Marcos, is investigating the circumstances surrounding former president Duterte's trip to Hong Kong and his controversial arrest upon arrival in Manila on March 11.

Still friends

Despite the rift between the country's top two leaders, Vice President Duterte said she remains friends with Senator Marcos.

"Magkaibigan pa rin kami hanggang ngayon. Wala namang problema doon (We're still friends until now. There's no problem there)," she said.

Duterte said their relationship has endured despite political tensions.

"I do not know her side, but I would like to believe that the friendship is already beyond politics," she said.

"Dalawa lang yun. It's either nagpaplastikan kami (There are only two possibilities. It's either we're pretending) or it's really beyond friendship. I would like to believe that it's beyond politics already," she added.

The Vice President said she and Senator Marcos still have open lines of communication.