ICC rules bar holiday visits for Digong
Just like Christmas Day, former President Rodrigo Duterte will likely have to spend New Year’s Day without family visits because of the holiday visitation rules of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands.
The former leader’s daughter, Veronica or “Kitty,” said detainees at the ICC facility usually hold informal holiday gatherings among themselves, but she did not say whether her father would join these activities.
Kitty said she informed her father that family members would not be allowed to visit him during Christmas Day or New Year’s Day, but the former president’s both Filipino and foreign supporters plan to stay close to show their support.
Judicial recess
From Dec. 12 to Jan. 5, the ICC will be on judicial recess. The court also observes Dec. 25 and Dec. 26 as official holidays, further limiting visitation schedules during the Christmas period.
Kitty said her last visit with her father ended with a prayer, noting that while he was not in the best emotional state, he remained strong and composed despite his detention.
Speaking to reporters at a chance interview in Davao City on Thursday, Vice President Sara Duterte said Veronica accompanied their father on Dec. 24, or the day before Christmas, and was able to do a video call with her half-sister after the visit.
The vice president said that during the gift-giving event she attended in Davao City, she showed their supporters Veronica’s video call with her “to convey the message of former President Rodrigo Duterte to all this Christmas.”
The Vice President went to The Hague in late November to visit her father and discussed the current state of politics in the Philippines.
She again recalled her most recent visit to her father and was thankful for the opportunity to have a one-on-one with him, most times through telephone calls.
