Duterte family to visit detained patriarch on his birthday – VP Duterte

International Criminal Court (L) and former President Rodrigo Duterte (ICC and official Facebook page of Rody Duterte)

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday (Manila time) said her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, would be visited by other members of his family on his birthday while in custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

According to Vice President Duterte, her sister Veronica and her father’s partner Cielito “Honeylet” Avanceña would be visiting the former president right inside the ICC detention center in Scheveningen, The Hague on March 28.

READ: Duterte’s ICC arrest: Separating fact from lies

Meanwhile, the vice president’s biological mother and former President Duterte’s ex-wife, Elizabeth Zimmerman, will be visiting either on March 28 or 29.

“Wala akong schedule sa kanya sa Friday. So I said, binigay namin kasi allowed lang siya ng two visits a day. So, one lawyer, one lawyer visit, and then one family visit,” Vice President Duterte said when asked about their plans on her father’s birthday.

(I don’t have a schedule with him on Friday. So I said, we gave it because he’s only allowed two visits a day. So, one lawyer visit, and then one family visit.)

“Wala ako. Binigay ko lahat ng schedule kay Cielito at Veronica,” she added.

(I won’t be there. I gave all the schedules to Cielito and Veronica.)

Birthday picnic for supporters

Vice President Duterte also said that instead of a traditional protest, she suggested holding a birthday picnic outside the ICC detention center for her father’s supporters on his birthday.

“Ang suggestion ko sa kanila (organizers), maybe magkanya-kanya na lang tayo ng picnic, kung gusto ninyo ng ganoon, at wala nang program, para hindi na tayo kailangan magpaalam ba,” said Duterte.

(My suggestion to the organizers is maybe we should just have separate picnics if you want something like that, and without a program, so we don’t need to ask for permission anymore.)

“Because it’s not a rally, it’s not a protest, it’s just a birthday picnic,” she added.

Asked when she plans to return to the Philippines after weeks of being overseas despite being the vice president, she reiterated that she will not until all her father’s defense team has been appointed by the ICC.

On March 11, Duterte was arrested and sent to The Hague for crimes against humanity he allegedly committed during his administration’s war against drugs.

READ: War on drugs: The violence, scars, doubts and families it left behind

The drug war left at least 6,000 people dead, according to government data. However, human rights group reported that the death toll is t least 20,000.