VICE President Sara Duterte yesterday said her father, former president Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte, was able to discuss with her his thoughts about the flood control issue and his “love life” even if his lawyer claims that the 80-year-old detained former chief executive is not fit to stand trial due to “cognitive impairment.”
“Tumawag siya (He called) last Friday. He’s okay. Nag-usap kami (We talked) about politics, flood control, about ano nya (his), love life,” she told reporters after defending the Office of the Vice President’s proposed P902.8 million budget for 2026 before the House Committee on Appropriations.
She, however, declined to comment when asked if she believes her father was still “sharp” during their conversation, saying experts should be the ones to make such a determination before the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he is facing trial for crimes against humanity.
The Vice President said it is not for her to comment because “I’m not an expert on what the capacity of a witness or an accused should be.”
“Tingin ko naman may mangyayaring hearing sa competency so hintayin na lang natin ‘yung mga experts, bukod sa ICC, prosecution, and defense side. I’m sure maglalabasan ‘yung experts kung ano ‘yung problema (I think there’ll be a hearing on his competency so let’s just wait for the experts, not just from the ICC but also from the prosecution, and the defense side. I’m sure the experts will come out and say what the problem is),” she said.
She likewise refused to share her father’s thoughts about the flood control scandal, where 17 congressmen and two senators were accused by contractor couple Pacifico and Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” Discaya and former public workers engineer Brice Hernandez of allegedly receiving kickbacks.
The former president, through his lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman, earlier asked the ICC to “adjourn all legal proceedings in his case indefinitely.”
In a 13-page submission dated September 11, Kaufman said “Mr. Duterte’s condition will not improve and, for this reason, the Pre-Trial Chamber must adjourn all legal proceedings in his case indefinitely.”
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber 1 has postponed the September 23 confirmation of charges hearing against Duterte.
It has yet to resolve the defense team’s request for interim release of Duterte, which the Office of the Prosecutor and the OPCV have opposed.
Kaufman has said that while the chamber has discretionary power to order a medical and/or psychological examination on Duterte and given the “extensive medical information” that has been furnished to the chamber, “the Defense does not believe that further medical examination is necessary to grant the relief sought.”
He said Duterte’s deficiencies were diagnosed not just by two defense experts but also by “a neuropsychologist instructed by the Medical Center at the ICC Detention Center at the specific request of the Registrar.”
