By Ivy Tejano
DAVAO CITY – Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Z. Duterte strongly criticized an opposition bloc’s warning addressed to foreign governments against accepting his father, former President Rodrigo R. Duterte, should his request for interim release be granted.
In a statement over the weekend Rep. Duterte said it would be no surprise if several countries express their readiness to receive former President Duterte should the International Criminal Court approve his petition for interim release.
Rep. Duterte slams 1Sambayan’s appeal to the foreign nations, which urged them not to welcome the former President if his request for temporary release is approved.
The lawmaker accused the opposition bloc of hypocrisy and selective advocacy. He said the group remained silent during past incidents involving Filipino citizens who were allegedly kidnapped or victimized by drug syndicates and communist insurgents.
He said it’s curious that they now exert so much effort to caution other countries against receiving the former President, who had been praised by several countries for his campaign against crime, particularly in battling illegal drugs.
“A citizen of this Republic had been kidnapped by his fellow Filipinos, and never did we hear anything from this group, nor did we hear anything from them when drug lords and NPA insurgents terrorized our fellow Filipino citizens. It is interesting now that these people would go to great lengths to warn other states from receiving our President,” Rep. Duterte said.
Rep. Duterte maintained that former President Duterte’s actions during his tenure in the country were intended to safeguard the nation and uphold public safety rather than to infringe upon human rights.
“There was no crime against humanity—only a bold move by a man willing to do what others feared to protect our people,” the lawmaker said.
Rep. Duterte also aimed at the broader opposition, claiming that groups like 1Sambayan are aligned with certain political blocs and funded by individuals eyeing the presidency in 2028.
Without naming names directly, he accused these factions of using public funds to advance their ambitions.
Rep. Duterte expressed concern over what he called the country’s failure to stand by a leader who, in his view, risked everything for national security.
“He is now elderly and frail. All he wants is to come home and spend time with his family,” Rep. Duterte said, pointing out that at his age and health condition the former President is not even a political threat.
Rep. Duterte concluded his statement with a plea to the Filipino public: “Let us pray for former President Duterte—that he may finally return to the country he deeply loves and served with unwavering loyalty.”
The lawyers of the former President who currently detained in The Hague has filed an appeal for interim release. The defense counsel argued that his health and service record should be considered.
