Words carry weight, and regardless of intent, they can be interpreted in ways their speakers may not anticipate. This is the challenge faced by former president Rodrigo Duterte’s defense team as they try to counter arguments in the ongoing proceedings at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Several ICC filings have pointed to statements made by Duterte supporters, most notably Vice President Sara Duterte, as justification against the former president’s interim release.

In its October decision rejecting that request, the ICC pre-trial chamber specifically noted Sara Duterte’s remarks in public speeches, where she floated the idea of “breaking [Duterte] out of the ICC Detention Center” and sought to delegitimize proceedings by alleging collusion between the court and the Philippine government. She also stated that her father “wishes to return to Davao City should he be granted interim release.”

According to the ICC, these statements “illustrate Mr. Duterte’s rejection of the proceedings against him before the court, and the will of his close family to help him elude detention and prosecution.”

Perhaps the Vice President has taken these developments to heart. During her first visit to The Hague following the appeals chamber’s rejection of the interim release request, Sara Duterte struck a noticeably milder tone. In a recent interview, she said they had not yet discussed the decision, claiming that she and her father talked only about politics.

What else have Sara and the rest of the Duterte family said about the former president’s detention? Rappler compiles some notable quotes. 

Vice President Sara Duterte

March 20, 2025

“As vice president, may duty rin ako sa isang kababayan, isang Filipino citizen who is held against his will dito sa ICC detention center. Huwag na natin isipin na tatay ko siya. Isipin na lang natin VP ako, at gumagawa ako paraan kung paano ibalik ang isang Filipino sa ating bayan.” 

(As vice president, I also have a duty to a fellow citizen — a Filipino citizen who is being held against his will in the ICC detention center. Let’s not think of him as my father. Let’s just think of me as the VP, doing what I can to bring a Filipino back to our country.)

April 2, 2025

“I fear for his life in the Philippines. But we follow what the client wants. What [former president Duterte] wants. And he wants to go home to the Philippines. Everyone wants him to go home to the Philippines. Davaoeños want him home because they will be his mayor for the next three years.”

July 8, 2025

“I-expound ko kung ano ang skin and bones. Payat siya. Sobrang payat niya na hindi ‘nyo pa siya nakita na ganito kapayat. Siguro nakita ko siyang ganitong kapayat noong binata pa siya and sa photo nung binata pa siya. ‘Yung kanyang braso ay kalahati lang ng braso ko, so ganyan siya kapayat.” 

(I’ll explain what “skin and bones” means. He’s thin. He’s extremely thin — you’ve never seen him this thin. I may have last seen him this thin when he was a young man, and only in photos from his younger years. His arm is only half the size of mine, that’s how thin he is.)

June 19, 2025

“Alam ng ICC na ganyan ang estado ng kaso, pero pinilit pa rin nilang kunin si dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte. Hindi na nila makuha, pero ano nangyari? Binigay siya ng administrasyon ni [Ferdinand Marcos Jr.]. Nagkuntsaba ang ICC at ang administrasyon ni BBM…”

“Nakikialam ang ICC sa ginagawa natin para sa bayan natin. Nakikialam sila sa governance ng ating bayan. Nakikialam sila dahil meron silang…agenda at kailangan nila panindigan ang suporta na pera na ibinibigay ng iba’t ibang mga bansa para sa kanila at meron silang ina-apply na global order para sa lahat. Nakikialam sila sa pagpapatakbo o sa gusto ng mga sariling Pilipino para sa kanilang bayan o sa Pilipinas.” 

“Kaya tayo nandito kasi gusto natin sabihin sa ICC, bitawan ‘nyo na yan. Huwag ‘nyo kaming pakialaman. Dahil bansa namin ito, kung ano ‘yung gusto namin mangyari, kami lang mga Filipino ang magdedesisyon.” 

(The ICC knows the status of the case, but they still insisted on taking former president Rodrigo Duterte. They couldn’t get him anymore, but what happened? The administration of [Ferdinand Marcos Jr.] handed him over. The ICC and the BBM administration conspired… The ICC is interfering with what we are doing for our country. They are meddling in the governance of our nation. They are interfering because they have an agenda, and they need to justify the financial support they receive from various countries, and they are trying to impose a global order on everyone. They are meddling in how the Filipino people want to run their own country or the Philippines. That’s why we’re here, because we want to tell the ICC: let it go. Don’t interfere with us. Because this is our country, and whatever we want to happen here, only we Filipinos will decide.”

August 21, 2025

“Oo, lalabas na ‘yan si PRRD. I-jailbreak na ‘yan natin lahat,” Vice President Sara Duterte said during a Facebook Live. (Yes, PRRD will be released. Let’s all collaborate on a jailbreak.)

September 21, 2025

“Ang ginawa nila, kinidnap nila si dating pangulong Duterte, pang-aabuso,” she told the Filipino community in Nagoya, Japan. (What they did was kidnap former President Duterte. That’s abuse.)

September 27, 2025

“The continued detention of Former President Duterte under such troubling conditions is not only unjust but inhumane. It amounts to punishment without having been convicted of any crime. PRRD is not a flight risk, has never threatened witnesses or complainants, and has no intent to assume the office of Mayor. There is no other reason for his continued detention except to make him suffer for the complaint of a disgraced former senator.”

Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte

October 11, 2025

“To all kidnappers of my father I will make sure that you will pay for this crime that you have committed. To the CIA who connived in this criminal act, my father’s kidnapping will not silence him. As a matter of fact, you might just have helped in making him a martyr. The anger of his people on his baseless imprisonment might just worsen just as their love for him will grow bigger…”

Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte

March 11, 2025

“This is not the Philippine National Police serving a warrant since they cannot even justify their actions. This is a political maneuver of the Bongbong Marcos administration. Be prepared no matter what.”

Davao 2nd District Representative Omar Duterte

November 28, 2025

“I hope that [the Marcos administration] is happy right now. They feel vindicated with what they did. I hope they got some sort of reward from this. This is almost borderline inhumane, keeping an 80-year-old here. Away from his family, away from the land he called home. I hope they are happy.” – Rappler.com