VICE President Sara Duterte said on Sunday, March 23, 2025, in The Netherlands, that she warned her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte (FPRRD), that he might suffer the same fate as slain Senator Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino Jr. if he returns to the Philippines.
In her speech during a gathering of FPRRD’s supporters in The Hague ahead of his birthday on March 28, VP Duterte recalled that each day she would visit her father at the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention facility, he would repeatedly ask for his return to the Philippines so he could continue serving as the mayor of Davao City.
“Sinabi ko sa kanya, ‘Pa, ‘yung kagustuhan mong umuwi ang magiging katapusan ng buhay mo. Magiging Ninoy Aquino Jr. ka.’ At sinabi niya sa akin, 'kung ganyan ang kapalaran ko, then so be it. Basta lang mauwi ako sa Pilipinas,'” said VP Duterte.
(I told him, "Pa, your desire to go home will be the end of your life. You will become the next Ninoy Aquino Jr." And he told me, "If that’s my fate, then so be it. As long as I can return to the Philippines.")
“Kaya may worry man ako sa kanyang safety and security, pero lagi niyang inuulit-ulit talaga, 'ibalik ninyo ako sa Pilipinas.' Wag natin tigilan ang panawagan sa gobyerno ng Pilipinas, lahat ng gobyerno, pati ICC, na ipaalam sa kanila na mali ang ginawa kay FPRRD. Paano itama? Ibalik n'yo lang siya sa Pillipinas. Ituloy n’yo lang ang kaso basta ibalik nyo sya sa Pilipinas,” she added.
(So, while I worry about his safety and security, he always keeps repeating, "Bring me back to the Philippines." Let us not stop calling on the Philippine government, all governments, including the ICC, to make them understand that what was done to FPRRD was wrong. How to correct it? Just bring him back to the Philippines. Just continue the case, as long as you bring him back to the Philippines.)
VP Duterte said FPRRD is in better health and expressed confidence that he has a strong legal argument in the case over the alleged crimes against humanity in the country during the implementation of his drug war before the ICC.
“He's very confident about the legal arguments. He's very confident... that what they did was wrong and there is no case to begin with,” VP Duterte said.
In a press conference, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro took a swipe at VP Duterte for comparing his father to Aquino when it was FPRRD himself who likened himself to dictator Adolf Hitler back in 2016.
“Napakalayo pong ipakumpara ang dating Pangulong Duterte kay Ninoy Aquino na hindi nagkaroon ng anumang record ng mass murder or crimes against humanity. Mas ninais po ni dating Pangulong Duterte na ikumpara ang sarili niya kay Hitler,” Castro said.
(It is very far-fetched to compare former President Duterte to Ninoy Aquino, who had no record of mass murder or crimes against humanity. Former President Duterte preferred to compare himself to Hitler.)
In a statement, the Aquino family noted the “very big difference” between FPRRD and the late senator, who was assassinated upon his return to the Philippines on August 21, 1983.
"Kung pag-aaralan natin ang kasaysayan, makikita natin na ibang iba ang ginawa kay Ninoy sa pinagdadaanan ngayon ni dating Pangulo Duterte,” they said.
(If we study history, we will see that what was done to Ninoy is very different from what former President Duterte is going through now.)
The August Twenty-One Movement (ATOM) also slammed VP Duterte over her statements, which they described as a strategy of the Dutertes to “paint themselves as underdogs,” especially ahead of the 2025 national and local elections.
“Because Filipinos love underdogs after all. But we are sorry to say that President Duterte is a poor copycat of Ninoy Aquino. He has to answer to the thousands of families who lost their loved ones and were deprived of their due process,” the group said.
“A due process that he continues to enjoy while in Hague, and being able to employ a respected foreign lawyer,” it added.
Call to resign
VP Duterte also backed the call of FPRRD’s supporters for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to resign.
“And that relates to transparency and accountability. Alam n’yo kasi ang pagiging pangulo dapat nasa tamang pagiisip ka dahil nasa mga polisiya mo at desisyon mo ang kinabukasan ng kabataan at ng bansa kaya ‘yung pagsasabi na hindi mahalaga ang drug test sa aking kapasidad at abilidad na mamuno is tantamount to betrayal of public trust dahil kailangan malaman ng taong bayan na nasa ayos ang decision-making,” VP Duterte said.
(And that relates to transparency and accountability. You see, being president requires having a clear mind because your policies and decisions shape the future of the youth and the nation. So, saying that a drug test is not important to my capacity and ability to lead is tantamount to a betrayal of public trust because the people need to know that decision-making is in order.)
“Kaya hindi natin pwede sabihin lang na Marcos resign. Bakit ba kailangan mag-resign? Dahil hindi mo pinapakita sa taumbayan na maayos kang mag-isip at kaya mo ang mamuno,” she added.
(That’s why we can’t just say ‘Marcos resign.’ Why should he resign? Because you’re not showing the people that you have a clear mind and that you are capable of leading.)
VP Duterte raised the massive corruption in the current administration including the Philhealth issue and the big-ticket infrastructure projects. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)