Manila, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte announced Wednesday that she will return to the Netherlands to celebrate her 47th birthday on May 31 with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained in The Hague on charges related to alleged crimes against humanity.
In an ambush interview during a visit to Negros Occidental, Duterte shared that she will be joined by her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, the former president’s ex-wife, for the family reunion.
“I promised both my mother and father that I would spend my birthday with them,” said Duterte. “So I’m going back to The Hague with my mom.”
She revealed that during Zimmerman’s previous attempt to visit the former president, she was denied access due to lack of permission. This time, the Vice President coordinated with her parents to ensure that all three would be reunited on her special day.
“Former President Duterte told me he’s been waiting for my mother to visit. So I told her we should go together on my birthday,” Duterte said.
The Vice President had just returned to the Philippines earlier this month after spending over three weeks in the Netherlands offering support to her father, who was arrested on March 11 in the Philippines under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.
Rodrigo Duterte faces charges for his administration’s controversial anti-drug campaign, which international human rights groups allege resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings.
The upcoming visit marks another chapter in the Duterte family’s efforts to maintain personal and public unity amid legal challenges on the global stage.
