Reelectionist Sen. Imee Marcos has no power to bring back former president Rodrigo Duterte from The Hague, contrary to what Vice President Sara Duterte claimed in a Cebu sortie where she appealed for votes for the sister of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
STATEMENT
In an April 27 campaign rally in Carcar City, Cebu, the vice president lauded Imee for leading the Senate probe on the March 11 arrest and transfer of the older Duterte to the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Netherlands, and for supporting them in bringing back her father.
The crowd then chanted, “Bring him home! Bring him home!,” to which the vice president responded by presenting the senator on stage, saying:
“Nasa iyo ang boto namin, Senator Imee Marcos, dahil ikaw ang magdadala sa kaniya (Rodrigo Duterte) pauwi galing sa The Hague, pabalik ng Pilipinas.
(Our vote is yours, Senator Imee Marcos because you will bring him home from The Hague, back to the Philippines.)”
Source: ANC 24/7 Youtube page, ‘She will bring Duterte back home’: VP Sara renews endorsement for Imee Marcos at Cebu sortie | ANC, April 27, 2025 (watch from 5:14 to 5:26)
FACT
As the former president is in the middle of a legal process, particularly the pre-trial stage, of the ICC, he cannot walk free unless the court approves his temporary release. A senator has no power to bring him back home from detention.
“For the interim release, it has to be presented to the judges and the judges will decide if that is possible,” said ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah in an interview on NewsWatch Plus dated March 25.
In April, Duterte’s lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman confirmed that a request for interim release is in the works.
Read the full story on VERA Files Fact Check.