Jamaine Punzalan

Vice President Sara Duterte attends the attends the House quad committee hearing on the extrajudicial killings, addressing alleged human rights violations from her father former president Rodrigo Duterte administration’s war on drugs on November 13, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><p>MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte on Sunday urged Filipinos in Melbourne to convince the Australian government and other foreign leaders to look into the alleged injustices against former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is now detained in the Netherlands over charges of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC).</p><p>In the Vice President’s nearly 2-hour-long speech in a Melbourne rally, she discussed why the ICC no longer had jurisdiction over her father’s case, and why Philippine authorities supposedly breached legal procedures when they failed to present the former President to a local court before turning him over to the ICC.</p><p>“You convince the government of Australia — because Australia is a member of the ICC — to look into the case of President Duterte and the injustice that he is receiving, that he has been getting from the ICC,” she said.</p><p>“You talk to the government of Australia. Come together, sit down, come up with a position paper,” she said.</p><p>“Bring his case to the local Australian media, bring his case to the global community through your social media accounts,” she said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/21/marcos-jr-on-sara-duterte-s-impeachment-it-s-between-house-senate-1259">Marcos Jr. on Sara Duterte’s impeachment: It’s between House, Senate</a></div><p>Vice President Duterte proceeded to lambaste the ICC, saying that there has been “some sort of discrimination” in the arrests and trials conducted by the Hague-based tribunal.</p><p>“Sino lang ba ang kinakasuhan ng ICC? Yung mga African countries. So we ask bakit walang Western cases? Dahil hindi nila kaya,” she said.</p><p>“Kahapon lang may binomba na bansa. Ilan ang patay doon? Hindi na natin alam but I’m sure may mga patay doon and ano ba sinabi ng ICC? Wala. So bakit sila nakikialam sa isang presidente na ginawa niya lang ang trabaho niya sa bayan,” she said.</p><p>The Davaoeña leader also claimed that the arrest of her father was politically motivated, underscoring that the police operation to take their patriarch to the Netherlands happened just as he was starting to campaign for an opposition senatorial slate for the 2025 midterm elections.</p><p>“It is clearly politically motivated. Panahon yun ng kampaniya. Panahon yun na nagsisimula si Pangulong Duterte lumabas para sa kaniyang mga kandidato ng PDP,” she said.</p><p>“Dahil mayroon tayong insecure na administration na ang gustong gawin ay magturo ng ibang tao sa kawalan at kamalian nila ay hinila nila si Pangulong Duterte para hindi siya maka kampaniya sa kaniyang mga kandidato,” she said.</p><p>Since their patriarch’s arrest and detention in March, the Duterte family has been criticizing the Marcos Jr. administration for allowing a Filipino to be arrested by a foreign body on Philippine soil.</p><p>The Dutertes have been arguing that the ICC did not have the jurisdiction to investigate and hold a trial about their patriarch’s drug war, as the Philippines had already withdrawn from the Rome Statute in 2019.</p><p>But the ICC earlier ruled that it had the right to try the former President as alleged human rights abuses during his war on drugs campaign were committed when the Philippines was still a member of the international tribunal.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/12/interim-release-from-icc-sought-for-detained-duterte-0055">Interim release from ICC sought for detained Duterte</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/12/-50-50-odds-duterte-could-get-icc-interim-release-victims-lawyer-0754">‘50-50’ odds that ICC will grant Duterte interim release: victims’ lawyer</a></div><p>A Senate panel earlier probed the arrest of the Philippines’ 16th President, and urged the Ombudsman to investigate 5 high-ranking government officials for possible “criminal and administrative offenses” over alleged irregularities in Duterte’s arrest.</p><p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had disagreed with the findings of that Senate Committee, led by his elder sister and Duterte ally Sen. Imee Marcos.</p><p>In an earlier press conference, the President said that officials “followed every single necessary procedure” in the arrest of his predecessor.</p><p>“I’m confident that in further examination, you will find that it is proper and correct,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/19/rodrigo-duterte-s-100th-day-in-detention-son-paolo-says-dad-is-not-a-criminal-1304">Rodrigo Duterte’s 100th day in detention: Pulong says dad ‘is not a criminal’</a></div><div><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YDAhY3JGWu8" title="Duterte marks 100 days in ICC | ANC" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Vice President Sara Duterte urged Filipinos in Melbourne to convince the Australian government and other foreign leaders to look into alleged injustices against former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is now detained in the Netherlands over charges of crimes against humanity.</p>

Vice President Sara Duterte urged Filipinos in Melbourne to convince the Australian government and other foreign leaders to look into alleged injustices against former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is now detained in the Netherlands over charges of crimes against humanity.

Sara Duterte tells Filipinos in Melbourne: Urge Australia to look into 'injustice' vs Digong

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Sara Duterte tells Filipinos in Melbourne: Urge Australia to look into 'injustice' vs Digong

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 22, 2025 04:01 PM PHT

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