Rodrigo Duterte asked to be cremated if he dies in The Hague — VP Sara

Vice President Sara Duterte said her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, has asked that his remains be cremated should he pass away while detained in The Hague, Netherlands.

The Vice President, who is currently in the Netherlands to visit her father, said the elder Duterte already gave his last wish: to be cremated in the country where he will die. 

"Sabi niya, kung mamatay daw siya dito sa Netherlands, 'wag na daw iuwi 'yung kanyang katawan sa Pilipinas. Ipa-cremate lang daw siya dito, 'yung ashes na lang daw ang iuwi," Sara Duterte said in an interview. 

(He said that if he dies here in the Netherlands, his body should not be brought back to the Philippines. He said he should be cremated here and only his ashes will be brought home.) 

"And then, sabi ko, i-discuss na lang natin sa susunod kasi hindi ako pro-cremation… Tapos siya, pro-cremation siya," she added. 

(And then, I said, let's just discuss it next time because I'm not pro-cremation, but he is.) 

Asked about what she felt when Rodrigo made that remark, VP Sara said that it’s "natural" for an 80-year-old to think about such. 

"Mabuti na rin 'yun na alam natin lahat kung ano 'yung kanyang last wishes para magagawa 'yun kapag nangyari," she said. 

(It's good that we all know what his last wishes are so that we can do all that when he dies.) 

Sara Duterte earlier said the former president has lost a lot of weight since his detention in The Hague, describing him now as "skin and bones." 

Asked for comment regarding the former president's wish, Malacañang said the matter is a family decision.

"Ah, family matters po iyan at pampamilyang usapin so sa kanila pong desisyon iyan," Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said in a press briefing.

(Ah, these discussions are family matters. This will be their decision.)

The Duterte patriarch was arrested in the Philippines by local authorities on March 11, based on a warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). 

He is currently detained in the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague for charges of crimes against humanity for the extrajudicial killings during his administration's war on drugs. — with a report from Anna Felicia Bajo/ VDV, GMA Integrated News