THE HAGUE – Vice President Sara Duterte mentioned that the immediate family of ex-Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea will be arriving in The Hague, Netherlands on Saturday.
"I believe the next-of-kin will arrive tomorrow, which removes one concern since a family member will handle his affairs," said the Vice President during an interview with GMA Integrated News on Friday afternoon after her planned visit to her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
It remains uncertain what specific medical issue Medialdea encountered; however, based on a statement from Senator Bong Go posted on Saturday, the previous executive secretary has reportedly already been discharged from the hospital.
GMA Integrated News queried the Vice President regarding whether there were directives from Medialdea concerning the current state of the previous President, Rodrigo Duterte.
“She didn’t have any orders. We just discussed her health condition. The procedure was successful. We also talked about the doctor’s recommendations,” she said.
On March 18, when Medialdea was visiting Duterte, he was carried out of the The Hague Penitentiary Institution on a stretcher and transported to a hospital using an ambulance.
Medialdea accompanied the ex-president when he left for the country on March 11 to answer accusations related to the drug war at the ICC.
In the meantime, Atty. Nicholas Kaufman, who previously served as the chief legal advisor for the former president during their case at the International Criminal Court, mentioned that a five-person "provisional core team" has been finalized, with a member from the Philippines being part of this group.
GMA Integrated News queried the Vice President about whether Medialdea or Atty. Harry Roque would join the defense team.
"Nagsho-shortlist ako ng mga tao na kukunin para sa interview ni Nicholas Kaufman, at kasalukuyan akong hinahanap ng isang Filipino lawyer. Malamang wala na sya sa list of ICC-accredited lawyers dahil mura lamang ang ilan dito. Pero susundin natin kung ano mangyari. Ang tagumpay ay nakakaapekto sa kakayahang ng aming layer," ani Sara. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
This article Medialdea's relatives set to reach The Hague, according to Sara was originally published in GMA News Online .