Vice President Sara Duterte recently shared her birthday wishes, and among them is the release of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, for alleged crimes against humanity in relation to his administration’s war on drugs.
As she turns 47 on May 31, the vice president will celebrate her birthday in The Hague with her parents. She also plans to join supporters in the “ICC, Send Him Home” rally in The Hague on the same day.
“Pinromise ko sa mga magulang ko na mag-birthday ako na nandyan silang dalawa. So pupunta kami ng mother ko para mag-celebrate with former President Duterte, and then pagkatapos namin pumasok doon sa loob, I can do a gathering, a discussion, a forum with mga kababayan nating OFWs doon sa The Hague,” she said.
Organized by former President Duterte’s supporters and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in The Hague, the rally serves as a unified call for the ICC to send Duterte home.
Among her birthday wishes is a victory for the PDP Laban senatorial slate in the recently concluded 2025 national and local midterm elections on May 12. She had expressed hope that the party’s ten senatorial candidates, along with its two guest candidates—Senator Imee Marcos and Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar—would secure seats in the Senate.
Based on the official and final tally of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), incumbent Senators Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, along with Rodante Marcoleta, Camille Villar, and Imee Marcos, successfully secured spots in the Senate’s “Magic 12.”
The 2025 Philippine midterm elections witnessed a historic voter turnout of 81.65%, with 55.8 million out of 68.4 million registered voters participating in the polls. The senatorial race highlighted the continuing political rivalry between the Marcos and Duterte factions. Traditionally, the incumbent administration holds strong influence over midterm elections, but this time, only six of the twelve winning senators were from the Marcos alliance, while four were aligned with the Duterte camp, including Imee Marcos. This outcome could affect the Marcos administration’s ability to push forward key legislative agendas.
Despite concerns over vote-buying incidents and technical failures, with 311 vote-counting machines requiring replacement, the election was largely peaceful, with only 34 areas placed under red alert, marking it as one of the least violent elections in recent history.
Further affirming the Duterte family’s enduring influence, former President Rodrigo Duterte was elected mayor of Davao City despite his detention in The Hague. His son, Sebastian Duterte, secured the position of vice mayor and is expected to take on mayoral duties in his father’s absence.
