The Hague, Netherlands – Davao City Mayor Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte said his family is prepared for “any eventuality” as judges of the International Criminal Court deliberate whether the case against former President Rodrigo Duterte will proceed to trial.
Speaking to reporters and pro-Duterte supporters after visiting his father at the ICC detention facility in The Hague, Baste said the family is bracing for any decision of the court.
“We’re always prepared. Even my father is prepared. We’re not here just to cry. This is politics — most of it is politics,” the mayor said.
He said he also doubts the international tribunal handling the case linked to thousands of killings during the former president’s anti-drug campaign.
“I do not trust what you call the ICC. How can I be optimistic about an institution that cannot follow its own rules?,” he added.
Baste questioned the process that led to his father’s detention in the Netherlands as he believed proper procedures were disregarded.
The mayor said he and his father avoided discussing the hearings during his visit.
“Hindi namin pinag-uusapan ’yan kapag nasa loob kami ng detention room. Pang-araw-araw na buhay lang ang pinag-uusapan namin,” he said.
[Translation: We don’t talk about that when we’re inside the detention room. We only talk about everyday life.]
He added that legal decisions related to the case are mainly handled by his sister, Vice President Sara Duterte.
The mayor also thanked supporters of the former president and acknowledged their frustration over the situation.
The former president previously told the ICC to excuse him from attending the confirmation of charges hearing, citing his age and frailty in a letter submitted to the court.
“I do not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over my person,” Duterte wrote.
The 80-year-old former leader described himself as “old, tired and frail” and said he preferred to remain in his detention cell rather than attend proceedings he might not fully remember.
“I do not wish to attend legal proceedings that I will forget within minutes,” he wrote. “I am old, tired and frail.”
Duterte also said he had accepted the possibility that he could die in prison.
“I have accepted the fact that I could die in prison, but those that desire this fate for me should know that my heart and soul will always remain with the Philippines,” he wrote.
In response to his father’s condition, Baste said that anyone who was put into detention would experience body changes.
“Of course, lahat naman siguro pag ikaw nilagay sa detention unit, you get depressed, you know, you don’t want to eat the food because wala kang gana. I think that’s natural for everyone. Hindi pa rin siya naka-adjust sa food here. It’s not the food. It’s the situation that we’re in,” said Baste.
Decision within 60 days
The ICC concluded the four-day confirmation of charges hearing on Feb. 27, during which prosecutors, defense lawyers and representatives of victims presented arguments on whether there is sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial.
Judges from the court’s Pre-Trial Chamber I are expected to issue a written decision within 60 days.
Duterte faces three counts of murder and attempted murder as crimes against humanity linked to drug-related killings during his time as mayor of Davao City and later as president.
