Lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, lead legal counsel of former President Rodrigo Duterte, bared on Monday that the former president was touched by the outpouring of support his supporters showed especially on his 80th birthday on Friday.
“The former president has been made aware of the outpouring of support for him. It touched him, especially on his birthday. It was a huge outpouring of support and love and he was grateful,” Kaufman said in an interview with the media in The Hague, Netherlands.
Around 350,000 Duterte supporters on Friday swarmed the C.M. Recto Avenue and Roxas Avenue for FPRRD’s 80th birthday prayer rally in Davao City.
Supporters in green shirts braved the scorching heat as they started gathering as early as 1 p.m. near the former Aldevinco shopping center and Marco Polo Davao for the biggest birthday celebration tendered for the former president of the country and mayor of Davao City dubbed “Rody at 80: Global Filipino Solidarity” prayer rally.
Vice President Sara Duterte earlier told the media that the videos, letters, and footage of FPRRD’s birthday in Davao City were all sent to the lawyer.
“Pinadala namin sa abogado yung pictures ng Davao City, yun lang ang pictures na meron ako but naintindihan ko na buong Pilipinas at buong mundo nag celebrate ng birthday niya. Pinadala ko sa abogado at sabi ng abogado there is a system doon sa loob na ina-upload yan sa laptop ng detainee at nakikita niya doon ang mga letters, mga photos, mga videos na pinapadala ng family members and I think allowed din,” the vice president said.
Meanwhile, Kaufman revealed that the former president is in good spirits and that the accompanying medical issues that come with being 80 years old are the only challenges that he is facing at the moment.
“FPRRD is in good spirits. And I will keep on saying that because he is in good spirits. Obviously, he is 80 years old, with all the accompanying medical issues that come with being 80. It is not easy to adjust to life in UN detention or ICC detention. So, those are the only challenges he is facing at the moment,” Kaufman said.
When asked if there are any words from the former president that requested to him, Kaufman responded “everything that I have said regarding the need to respect the judicial process is something that I know he endorses fully.”
