ACTING Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte and his sister, Veronica “Kitty” Duterte, formally petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene in the continued detention of their father, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
The separate legal filings, submitted by prominent law offices, challenge the jurisdictional validity of the former president’s arrest and seek his immediate return to the Philippines.
In a memorandum filed by Tolentino & Associates on Dec. 29, 2025, the mayor filed a writ of habeas corpus, urging the High Court to compel authorities to produce his father before the bench.
The petition prays that respondents be directed to “produce the body of the detainee, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, and explain forthwith why petitioner should not be set at liberty without delay.”
Following her brother’s move, Kitty Duterte filed a supplemental memorandum through the Panelo Law Office on Jan. 5, 2026, asking the Supreme Court to declare her father’s arrest, surrender, and continued detention at The Hague as “illegal and unconstitutional.”
The petition asked justices to declare the ICC proceedings void in relation to Philippine sovereignty and direct respondents to “take all available steps to facilitate the immediate return” of the former president to Philippine soil.
These legal filings coincide with the recent visit of the Duterte siblings to the Netherlands.
As reported earlier, Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte and Kitty Duterte met with their father at the ICC facility, noting that the former president remains in good spirits despite the “controlled” environment and has noticeably grown out his hair.
The Supreme Court has yet to issue a comment or schedule a hearing regarding these petitions.
