VP Sara: Dad's arrest was 'rendition', politically motivated

Vice President Sara Duterte claimed Thursday that her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte's arrest was 'extraordinary rendition' and insisted it is politically motivated.

Sara Duterte appeared via Zoom at a Senate inquiry led by her sister, Senator Imee Marcos, to discuss the legality of her father's arrest on March 11 upon his return from Hong Kong.

The vice president argued that the arrest was 'patently illegal' and constituted an unlawful act as there was no valid Philippine court warrant for Rodrigo Duterte's detention.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. defended the arrest by stating it complied with Interpol’s request and domestic law, despite the Philippines having withdrawn from the ICC in 2019.

Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Ronald 'Bato' Dela Rosa have challenged his arrest before the Supreme Court, while Duterte's children are seeking a writ of habeas corpus to bring him back to the Philippines.

Vice President Sara Duterte stated that her father was taken into custody without due process or legal basis under Philippine law, emphasizing there is no valid warrant issued by a Philippine court.

Sara Duterte said she is the only person working to have her father returned from The Hague, where he remains in detention following his arrest on March 11.