Vice President Sara Duterte has sounded the alarm over the condition of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who remains detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
In a statement released Saturday, she said her family received “credible” information that the former leader had been found unconscious on the floor of his room and was later subjected to laboratory tests.
“The family was not informed of the ‘accident,’ and no explanation was given. These alarming developments raise grave concerns about the capacity of the ICC to guarantee the security and safety of FPRRD,” she said.
The Vice President went further, criticizing what she called the ICC’s failure to provide even the most basic medical care.
“Even the treatment of a simple ingrown toenail is delayed. The ICC has persistently ignored the need for a 24-hour caregiver,” she lamented.
Sara Duterte branded her father’s detention under such conditions as both unjust and inhumane, saying it amounts to punishment without conviction.
Lawyer Confirms Health Scares
Nicholas Kaufman, counsel for the former president, confirmed that Duterte has suffered several incidents of falling in his cell.
“In one of these, he lost consciousness and was rushed to a hospital, where doctors assessed him for possible cranial and brain injury,” Kaufman revealed.
He said neither the family nor the defense team was informed in real time. Kaufman also described the 80-year-old former leader as “fatigued from detention and physically incapacitated by age-related illnesses.”
According to him, even the Marcos administration is aware of Duterte’s state after representatives allegedly made a “surreptitious visit” to the ICC detention center under the guise of a welfare check.
Calls for Humanitarian Consideration
The Vice President urged the ICC to correct what she called a “gross injustice” by ensuring her father’s proper medical care and granting humanitarian considerations.
Her criticism extended to the Philippine Embassy in The Hague, which recently conducted what officials described as a “professional consular visit.” Sara Duterte, however, claimed it was no more than surveillance.
“To deprive an elderly man—abducted, denied his rights, and subjected to disguised surveillance—of basic dignity and proper care is not justice. This is cruelty,” she declared.
Trial Proceedings Delayed
Rodrigo Duterte has been detained at the ICC since March 13, facing charges of crimes against humanity linked to his bloody war on drugs during his time as Davao City mayor and later as president.
The confirmation of charges hearing, originally set for September 23, was postponed indefinitely after his lawyers argued he was “not fit to stand trial.”
Kaufman has since told the ICC that Duterte’s medical condition, impaired memory, and difficulty retaining information make it impossible for him to participate meaningfully in his defense.
DFA: Ask the ICC
Meanwhile, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Angelica Escalona said the Philippine government has no information on Duterte’s medical situation.
“Inquiries about it are best referred to the ICC Spokesperson,” she noted.
For the Duterte family, however, the question is no longer just legal—it’s deeply human. At the center of the debate is whether an 80-year-old former president is being given the dignity and care owed to any detainee, no matter the allegations.
