THE HAGUE – Vice President Sara Duterte clarified on Friday that her recent remarks thanking President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for mending her relationship with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, were meant sarcastically—and not as genuine praise.
Speaking to reporters, VP Sara explained that Marcos likely misunderstood her comment. “He probably didn’t realize that his duty is to the nation, not to fix family matters. The sarcasm was lost on him,” she said.
Her statement came in response to Marcos’ comment, “Glad I could help,” which was relayed by Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro the day before.
Earlier this week, VP Sara, joined by her half-sister Kitty, visited Duterte at the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, where he is detained by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged crimes against humanity linked to the war on drugs. Following the visit, she mentioned that the situation had somehow led to reconciliation between her and her father, quipping that she “had to thank Bongbong Marcos” for it.
Castro responded by saying that the vice president should instead thank her father for the opportunity to reconnect. “She got to spend time with her father because of the EJK case, so maybe it’s better if she thanks him first,” Castro said.
Despite the Marcos administration’s earlier position against cooperating with the ICC—which the Philippines exited in 2019—Rodrigo Duterte was arrested and now awaits trial in The Hague.