Duterte kin to fly to The Hague for his 80th birthday

Metro Manila, Philippines - More of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s family members will travel to The Hague, the Netherlands, before the detained ex-leader celebrates his 80th birthday on March 28, Vice President Sara Duterte said Saturday.

In an interview, Duterte said her father’s common-law partner Honeylet Avanceña and their daughter Veronica confirmed that they will be traveling to the Netherlands.

“Hindi ko lang alam kung anong dates sila darating. Pero nagsabi sila, na darating sila (I’m just not sure what dates they will arrive. But they already confirmed that they will come),” she said.

The vice president also disclosed that her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, will be arriving in time for the former president’s birthday.

Her brother Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte, who was earlier granted a more-than-a-month leave from office, has yet to confirm if he will be in the Netherlands before their father’s birthday.

Meanwhile, the vice president said Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte will head to The Hague after the upcoming 2025 midterm polls.

“Si Mayor Baste ay parang pagkakaintindi ko sa sinasabi niya pagkatapos na ng eleksyon kasi kailangan niya asikasunin ‘yung campaign doon sa Davao City,” she said.

[Translation: From what I understand, Mayor Baste will be coming after the election because he has to take care of the campaign in Davao City.]

The Duterte patriarch is currently detained at The Hague on 43 charges of murder under crimes against humanity. He is set to face the ICC chamber again on Sept. 23 for the confirmation of charges.