In an update, VP Sara Duterte flies to Australia for a personal trip.
A week after coming back from a trip overseas, VP Sara Duterte leaves the country again for Australia, citing it’s a personal trip.
Vice President Sara Duterte travelled to Australia for another personal trip, according to her office, the Office of the Vice President. Based on the statement, she will be joining the rally there, a protest action for the release of her father, former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
To recall, in March, the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte occurred following a warrant reportedly issued by the International Criminal Court. He just arrived from Hong Kong when the authorities of the Philippine National Police (PNP) made the arrest.
The arrest sparked outbursts among the supporters of the former president and raised questions over the jurisdiction of the ICC, as the country had pulled out from being a member when it investigated the deaths associated with Duterte’s war on drugs. However, there were technicalities concerning the country’s membership in terms of dates.
Duterte is currently detained in The Hague and has already made an initial appearance before the ICC judges. The three female judges are Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc, Judge Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou, and Judge María del Socorro Flores Liera.
As the VP left to join the rally in Australia for his release, the Palace asked if the trip is for personal or for the country. Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro on Friday asked, “Pang personal o pang bayan? That is the question.”
The OVP previously confirmed that it is in her itinerary to be in attendance at the “Free Duterte Now” rally on Sunday, June 22, in Melbourne. This trip comes a week after he went to Kuala Lumpur for a personal trip with her family. During this trip to Malaysia, she attended a Philippine Independence Day celebration and joined a program consultation with overseas Filipino workers.
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