Vice President (VP) Sara Duterte has flown to Australia for a personal trip, and will attend a rally in Melbourne, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) announced Friday, June 20.
The office did not elaborate on the Vice President’s trip, including when she will return to the country. However, they announced that the latter would attend the “Free Duterte Now” rally in Melbourne, Australia, on June 22.
The said rally is seeking the release of her father and former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands.
Earlier this month, the OVP announced that Duterte was on a personal trip with her family to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This came amid the Senate’s preparation for her impeachment trial.
On June 10, the Senate voted to send back the impeachment complaint against the Vice President to the House of Representatives, seeking to address “serious concerns.” The following day, the OVP confirmed the following day, that they had received the writ of summons issued by the impeachment court.
The Articles of Impeachment against Duterte implicate her in the betrayal of public trust, the culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.
Before the Senate convened as an impeachment court, Duterte’s legal team said they were “ready to confront the charges” against the Vice President, should the Senate decide to move forward.
