Vice President Sara Duterte said that she will return to The Hague, Netherlands next month to spend her birthday with her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, and mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman.

Vice President Sara Duterte and her parents, former president Rodrigo Duterte and Elizabeth Zimmerman (Richard Madelo/Presidential Photo)
In an interview in La Castellana, Negros Occidental on Wednesday, April 23, the Vice President said this would be in fulfillment of her promise to her parents.
“Nag-promise ako sa mga magulang ko, sa nanay at tatay ko, na sa birthday ko silang dalawa ‘yung kasama ko. So, babalik ako sa Hague sa birthday ko kasama iyong nanay ko (I promised my parents, my mom and dad, that on my birthday, I’ll be with both of them. So, I will return to the Hague with my mom),” she revealed.
Duterte will turn 47 years old on May 31.
“Noong nagkausap kami ni [dating] pangulong Duterte kahapon, hinahantay nya daw na bumisita ‘yung nanay ko. At sinabihan ko din ‘yung nanay ko na sa birthday ko na lang tayo magkitang tatlo (When I talked to [former] president Duterte yesterday, he said he was waiting for my mother to visit. I also told my mother that the three of us will see each other on my birthday),” she added.
Although Zimmerman was also in The Hague, she wasn’t able to visit the former president because she was not given permission.
It is unclear how Zimmerman, whose marriage to Duterte was annulled, will be able to visit him in the detention facility as she is not considered next-of-kin anymore.
Meanwhile, the Vice President also shared that through a phone call with her father yesterday, he asked for their supporters to not doubt and vote all of his 10 Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) senatorial bets.
The official did not say if the elder Duterte was aware that she also endorsed presidential sister Senator Imee Marcos.
This move has caused friction within the Duterte camp and supporters, who refused to vote for Marcos despite the Vice President’s endorsement.