March 13, 2025 – Vice President Sara Duterte is not backing down.
Just hours after her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, was extradited to The Hague, she boarded a flight to Amsterdam to confront what she calls an illegal handover to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Her Emirates flight departed Manila at 7:40 AM on March 13, following the midnight transfer of Rodrigo Duterte from Villamor Air Base to a chartered flight bound for the Netherlands via Dubai.
Duterte’s Swift Extradition Sparks Uproar
The former president was arrested at NAIA on March 11, based on an ICC warrant for crimes against humanity tied to his deadly anti-drug campaign.
Despite arguments that the ICC lost jurisdiction when the Philippines withdrew in 2019, authorities wasted no time in moving Duterte out of the country.
By the time Sara Duterte learned of the extradition, her father was already in the air, en route to Rotterdam The Hague Airport, where he is expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon.
Sara Duterte Slams ‘Broken Promise’ from Marcos Jr.
The Vice President did not mince words, blasting the extradition process and calling it a betrayal of national sovereignty.
“In truth, he should not have left the country.”
She argued that ICC procedures require defendants to face local courts first and revealed she was denied access to her father at Villamor Air Base before his departure.
“I wrote Marcos a letter, and he replied that there would be no cooperation with the ICC. We will release that letter.”
Sara Duterte accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of going back on his word, calling the handover a national disgrace.
“It’s embarrassing as a Filipino to surrender our own to a foreign court.”
The Duterte family’s ICC lawyer also condemned the extradition, calling it “craziness” and emphasizing that “this has never happened before.”
Duterte Family Mobilizing for Legal Battle
Sara Duterte isn’t the only one heading to the Netherlands.
Reports indicate that her brother, Congressman Paolo Duterte, is also traveling separately to Amsterdam, signaling a united front from the family.
As Rodrigo Duterte prepares to face trial at the ICC over a drug war that left thousands dead, his daughter’s swift intervention shows that the legal and political battle is only just beginning.
