There are many reasons to be entertained by the news that Rodrigo Duterte’s legal defense has decided to request that the International Criminal Court (ICC) “adjourn hearing indefinitely” because he is “not fit to stand trial.”
It is especially entertaining if one considers that for the past six months since his arrest, and since the family has been able to visit Duterte at the ICC Detention Center in the Hague, visiting family members have consistently stepped out to talk to the crowd, big and small, on what they call Duterte Street. And each and every time, they reassure this people: Duterte is okay.
If you’re on the Tiktok algorithm of the Dutertes, this is in fact what props it up. With the Vice President away from the Philippines most of the time, and her brothers not really worth any media coverage, what is here is massive content on Duterte based on updates from these family visits. And at no time did it seem like he has “cognitive impairment in multiple domains” that would make him unfit for anything at all.
During the June 2025 visits of Congressman Paolo Duterte, the image painted of the old man Duterte was of someone who has all his mental faculties together. According to Pulong, on June 16, Duterte had this message for his followers who were waiting outside the detention center: “Alagaan ang Pilipinas, alagaan ang mga Pilipino. Kaming mga pulitiko dadaan lang, ang importante bumuti ang Pilipinas during their time.” (Take care of the Philippines, take care of Filipinos. We politicians will be passing through, the important thing is to make sure the country become better during our time.)
And while both Pulong and his sister Vice President Sara Duterte would talk about how thin their father had become, the narrative was also consistent: thin, but okay.
In the same June 16 update, Pulong would say: “Ang laki ng pinayat. Pero okay naman siya, okay mag-storya, okay mag-joke, palaging nagpapatawa. Okay lang.” (He’s grown very thin. But he’s okay. He tells stories, makes jokes, always making us laugh. He’s okay.)
On July 2, Pulong’s daughter Sabina would give us an inkling of how well Duterte actually is. She speaks of telling her grandfather about the group of supporters outside of the detention center: “He’s okay, he’s actually really healthy. When we talk about you guys being here, he’s really really happy to know about it. and he also wants to express his thanks to everyone here right now.”
When Vice President Sara arrives at the Hague to take on visiting duties, she also speaks about the weight loss of her father, but not as a matter to be concerned about. “Para sa akin lang ha, he looks good na payat, kesa sa ‘yong malaki ang tiyan, parang unhealthy tingnan mukhang nakakatakot para sa kanyang heart. So I like him this way, medyo slim.” (For me, he looks good thin, instead of when he had a big stomach, and he looked unhealthy, and I feared for his heart. So I like him this way, kind of slim.)
The daughter also gives us a sense of his mental faculties, undecided as Duterte was about what to do with his hair. “’Di siya maka-decide kung mag-white hair siya, o magpa-tina. Minsan sa umaga pagtingin niya sa salamin, gusto niya mag-all-white. Minsan naman daw gusto niya magpa-tina. Nung Tuesday, nag-request siya ng haircut, at nasubmit na rin naming ang request for haircut. Nag-request na rin kami ng manicure and pedicure.”