Vice President Sara Duterte has dismissed circulating social media claims that former President Rodrigo Duterte is set to be released from the International Criminal Court (ICC) next week, saying her remarks during a recent rally in London had been taken out of context.
Based on the video circulating online, this is what the Vice President said: “Ang susunod na pagpapasalamat, makikita ko po siya sa susunod na linggo, mahal nating lahat at inaantay nating lahat ang kanyang paglabas at pag-uwi…”
In an interview in The Hague on Tuesday, Duterte categorically denied making any statement suggesting that her father would soon be released from ICC custody.
“Wala akong sinabi doon sa speech ko na lalabas si PRRD next week. Hindi ko alam kung saan nagsimula ‘yung ganon pero definitely wala doon sa transcript na nagsabi ako na lalabas na si PRRD sa ICC or lalabas na si PRRD next week,” she said.
The vice president urged the public to rely on official information, pointing out that the ICC’s publicly available case calendar does not indicate any hearing regarding the former president’s release.
“Dahil alam naman natin lahat at nakikita natin sa ICC website ‘yung schedule ng kanyang kaso at kung makikita natin na walang schedule ng hearing ng release. At ang meron lang scheduled ay ‘yung kanya trial proper,” Duterte explained.
Her statement came amid the spread of online posts claiming that former President Duterte would be freed from ICC detention within the coming week, a claim that has gained traction across several social media platforms despite lacking any official basis.
The former president remains under ICC custody, with the court’s scheduled proceedings focused on the trial proper, according to its published calendar.
Duterte’s remarks sought to correct misinformation circulating online and reaffirm that any developments in the case should be based on official announcements from the ICC rather than unverified social media claims.
