The law should not be used as a weapon to execute personal interests, said Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday, March 11, a year after her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, was “kidnapped” and flown to The Hague, Netherlands.

In a video shared on her official social media page, the Vice President Duterte stressed that undermining one’s rights through irregular processes erodes the country’s sovereignty.

“Ang pagyurak sa karapatan ng isang indibidwal sa pamamagitan ng mga iregular na proseso ay hindi lamang pag-atake sa katarungan; ito ay hamon sa ating pambansang soberanya,” she said.

She said this anniversary was a call to be discerning, emphasizing that Philippine institutions must remain free of oppression, honest, and resistant to all attempts to skew justice.

“Walang sinumang Pilipino ang dapat pagkakaitan ng proteksyon ng ating Saligang Batas,” Duterte said.

Duterte called on Filipinos to uphold a Philippines where the law safeguards justice and our sovereignty is respected by all.

“Patuloy nating ipaglaban ang dangal ng ating bansa. Mahalin natin ang Pilipinas—para sa Diyos, sa Bayan, at bawat pamilyang Pilipino,” she concluded.

On March 11, former President Duterte was intercepted at the airport after a visit to the overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs) community in Hong Kong. He was held at the Villamor Airbase until a plane arrived to take him to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. held a press conference shortly after, where he asserted that his administration had only fulfilled its obligation to the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), countering accusations of political maneuvering.