FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte remains in stable health despite experiencing elevated blood sugar levels, his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, said on Thursday.
The vice president, together with her siblings—Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, acting Mayor Sebastian Duterte, and their youngest sister Veronica—visited their father at the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, Netherlands. The former president is detained there while facing charges of crimes against humanity over his bloody war on drugs.
Speaking to supporters gathered outside the detention facility, led by former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, Vice President Duterte shared that her brother Paolo massaged their father’s feet after one had turned “ashen gray.”
“We massaged him thoroughly to improve his circulation. We also massaged his arms, while Paolo took care of his neck,” she said.
Sara added that a prison nurse advised against bringing food for her father due to his condition. “They want to lower his blood sugar, so he was not allowed to eat snacks. But he could still drink Coke Zero if he asked for it,” she explained.
The visit marked the first time all four Duterte siblings were able to see their father together inside the detention unit.
According to Sara, the family coordinated with Veronica, also known as “Kitty,” whose school schedule determined when they could make the trip.
“We are grateful to the ICC’s detention unit for allowing all four of us adults to visit him despite the usual visitation limit,” she said, adding that their father was “happy to see all of them.”
The former president has previously spoken about various health concerns, including Buerger’s disease and recurring migraines.