Vice President Sara Duterte visited a photo exhibit dedicated to her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, on Thursday, May 29, in The Hague. The visit comes as the younger Duterte prepares to celebrate her birthday on May 31, with her father currently detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention center. 

The exhibit, located on Laan Van Reagan en Gorbatsjov Street, featured images of the former president, including one board displaying a bold quote attributed to him: “I am the president. Of course I have the powers. But this country, in my time, will not deteriorate any further.” Photos from the Office of the Vice President showed her posing beside the display.

• Photo credit: OVP

Vice President Duterte traveled to the Netherlands with her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, and Senator Imee Marcos. Their trip included a stopover in Doha, Qatar, where they visited the Filipino community.

• Photo credit: Senator Imee Marcos

This marks Vice President Duterte’s second visit to The Hague to see her father, who is held at Scheveningen Prison. Former President Duterte was arrested on March 11 and transferred to the Netherlands-based tribunal to face charges of crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s “bloody war on drugs.” Thousands of mostly poor individuals were killed during the campaign. 

In March, the Vice President traveled to The Hague shortly after her father’s arrest to assist in assembling his legal defense team, which led to the appointment of British lawyer Nicholas Kaufman as his lead counsel. 

The former president is currently awaiting a confirmation of charges hearing on September 23, where he will have the opportunity to contest the accusations against him.