Vice President Sara Duterte is very worried. Her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, is now 80 years old. He is sick, not eating well, and far from his family. But right now, he is in jail—not in the Philippines, but in a special jail of the International Criminal Court (ICC), a big court that handles very serious crimes in other countries.
Sara wants her father to be released for now, while the case against him is still ongoing. This is called “interim release”, which means being allowed to go free while waiting for a final decision in court. But there’s a big problem: the lawyers from the ICC said no. They don’t want to let him go.
Sara hasn’t read the full document from the court yet, but as a daughter, she says she’s scared. She’s afraid that her sick father might have to stay in jail, even though he’s weak and old. “He needs to be with his family and people he knows,” she said.
Sara, who is also a lawyer, asked: “Why have a rule about interim release if it’s just going to be rejected?” She’s wondering if the system is fair.
But the court’s lawyers gave many reasons why they don’t want to let Duterte out:
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They say he might not come back for his trial.
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They say he doesn’t believe the ICC has the right to put him on trial.
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They point out he once asked the Philippine Supreme Court to block cooperation with the ICC.
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They also said his family, including Sara herself, still have powerful positions in the government.
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They’re worried that if he’s out of jail, he might scare or pressure witnesses in the case.
Sara answered back, saying, “I may be Vice President, but I don’t have powers in other countries. I can’t help my father in that jail even if I wanted to.”
Duterte is being accused of crimes against humanity because of the deadly war on drugs during his time as President. Many people died, and the ICC wants to investigate what really happened.
Duterte’s lawyers are asking for him to be released—not because he’s dangerous, but because he’s sick, old, and they say he will not run away. They even offered to send him to another country, but they didn’t say where.
For now, we don’t know what the court will decide. But one thing is clear: Sara Duterte is not just a Vice President right now—she is a worried daughter, fighting for her father’s freedom.
