Vice President Sara Duterte returned to the Philippines after staying in The Hague in the Netherlands for nearly a month to help her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, in his case before the International Criminal Court. "[Sara] Duterte arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Sunday, 06 April 2025, at approximately 9:56 PM (Philippine Standard Time) via Emirates Airlines flight no. EK 334," the Office of the Vice President said in a statement. "The Vice President is expected to address any pertinent matters in the coming days," it added. Sara followed her father to the Netherlands on March 12, a day after Duterte was arrested at NAIA on March 11 following a warrant of arrest issued by the ICC via the International Criminal Police Organization. There, she worked on forming her father's defense team, led by Nicholas Kaufman. Related Article ICC shares details of proposed admission process for drug war victims in Duterte's trial in September Kaufman previously noted that Sara rarely talked about Duterte's case during her visits as she left the matter to the defense team. The former president has been accused of being an "indirect co-perpetrator for the crime against humanity of murder pursuant to Article 7 (1)(a) of the Roman Statute." Specifically, he was allegedly involved in the murder of at least 19 persons reported to be drug pushers or thieves who were killed by members of the Davao Death Squad in various locations in or around Davao City between 2011 and 2016, as well as the murder of at least 24 alleged criminals who were killed by or under the supervision of members of the Philippines law enforcement at various locations in the country between 2016 and 2019 during his term as president. He could be the first Asian former head of state to be indicted by the ICC. If the charges against Duterte were confirmed, it could be months before the case eventually goes on trial, and years before a final judgment is rendered. Hours before Sara's return, a House of Representatives official published another list of questionable names who received confidential funds from the OVP and her former office, the Department of Education. House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega, La Union representative, said the names the OVP and DepEd had submitted to the Commission on Audit included the following: Ortega said Honeylet Camille Sy, Feonna Biong, Feonna Villegas, and Joel Linangan were alleged beneficiaries of the OVP's confidential funds worth PhP 500 million. At the same time, Fiona Ranitez, Erwin Q. Ewan, Ellen Magellan, and Gary Tanada received a cut from DepEd's confidential funds. Ortega said the names have no official birth, marriage, and death records from the Philippine Statistics Authority. “Hindi nakakatawa ang paulit-ulit na paggamit ng mga pekeng pangalan na parang hinugot mula sa sine at showbiz,” he said. “Public funds ang pinag-uusapan. Kung wala silang maipakitang ebidensya na tunay ang mga taong ito, ito mismo ang magiging matibay na ebidensya laban sa kanya sa impeachment trial." Related Article TIMELINE: From Duterte's 2016 war on drugs to his March 2025 arrest The name issue began in November 2024 through a certain Mary Grace Piattos, whose signature appeared in acknowledgment receipts for confidential funds of the OVP and DepEd. Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop noted that Mary Grace is the name of a cafe while Piattos is the name of a chips brand. In two instances in March, Ortega announced a new set of unusual names that he said don't have PSA records, including Renan Piatos, Pia Piatos-Lim, Xiaome Ocho, Jay Kamote, Miggy Mango, and five Dodongs. Sara has been in hot water for the alleged misuse of funds for her offices' programs and her refusal to answer questions regarding her offices' expenses. On Feb. 5, she was impeached by a total of 215 members of the House of Representatives. Around 30 more lawmakers later added their signatures to the complaint, increasing the number to 245. The total membership of the House is 306, which means that at least 102 signatures, or one-third of the lower legislative chamber, are needed for the case to go up to the Senate for trial. In the 24-seat Senate, it needs at least 16 or a two-thirds vote to remove her from office. The grounds for impeachment included a "series of grave allegations, including conspiracy to assassinate [President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.], large-scale corruption, abuse of public funds, and involvement in extrajudicial killings." In the same month, Sara filed a petition before the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the impeachment complaint against her. On the same day after the House's filing, the Senate went into recess without tackling her impeachment and will resume its session on June 2. Senate President Chiz Escudero said Sara's impeachment trial will start after Marcos's fourth State of the Nation Address in July. A successful conviction in an impeachment trial would permanently disqualify anyone from holding public office in the future. If Sara were to resign ahead of a possible conviction, she may still do so. Related Article AT A GLANCE: The 7 articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte TAGS: rodrigo duterte duterte Politics Sara Duterte international criminal court icc confidential funds the hague NICK GARCIA Nick writes about politics, law, health, entertainment, and pop culture, among others. Outside work, he's a wannabe musician and cook. Email him at [email protected]. TV/Streaming 'Maalaala Mo Kaya' to return on April 24 as limited series April 7, 2025 Politics Comelec issues show cause order to Batangas gubernatorial bet over 'laos' remarks against Vilma Santos April 7, 2025 History Toddler discovers 3,800-year-old Egyptian scarab from Bronze Age in Israel family outing April 7, 2025