Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, said she did not watch the full hearing of the first day of the confirmation of charges against her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday, February 23, 2026.

The Vice President said this during her visit in Iligan City to distribute assistance to more than 1,000 residents affected by Tropical Cyclone Basyang.

She told the members of the media that she had hoped to speak with her father personally before the confirmation of charges proceedings, but the ICC denied their visitation application.

The Vice President said she was able to see several video clips of the hearing through social media and expressed gratitude to her father’s legal defense team.

“Nagpapasalamat ako kay Atty. Kaufman at sa buong legal defense team ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa kaso niya sa ICC sa kanilang paghahanda at sa pagpapakita nila ng confidence, kumpyansa na walang ebidensya na nagpapatunay na ginawa ni dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang mga sinasabing krimen,” Vice President Duterte said.

She added that she was not surprised when the prosecution mentioned Senators Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go as alleged co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case linked to the previous administration’s war against illegal drugs.

The Vice President advised the two lawmakers to secure lawyers knowledgeable in international law and the Rome Statute to guide them properly.

“Ang pinakamagandang depensa nila at paghahanda nila ay kumuha sila ng mga abogado nila na merong alam sa batas at Rome Statute sa ICC at sa international law para mabigyan sila ng maayos na advice,” the Vice President said.

She also said that the news about her declaration to run for president in the 2028 elections has already reached the former president.

“Nasabihan siya ng kanyang mga abogado at nagpadala siya ng maikling sulat doon sa abogado at hindi pa ako nakapagpaalam doon sa abogado o kay PRRD kung pwde ko ba ibahagi sa inyo yung sulat,” she said.