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Bella Cariaso - The Philippine Star
May 29, 2025 | 12:00am
Composite photo shows Vice President Sara Duterte and Imee Marcos attending separate Senate sessions in August 2024.
Senate Social Media Unit / Released
MANILA, Philippines — Overseas Filipino workers in Doha, Qatar welcomed Vice President Sara Duterte after she met with members of the Filipino community at Villaggio Mall Food Court, more than a month after the arrest of 17 OFWs for illegal protest in support of detained former president Rodrigo Duterte. ?
“Thank you for your continued support. Thank you for supporting him (former president Duterte),” the Vice President said.
Duterte was accompanied by her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, and Sen. Imee Marcos, who has turned against her brother, President Marcos, and sided with the Dutertes.
The 17 OFWs were released in early April after over a week in detention. The President coordinated with the Qatari government, which then cleared them of illegal assembly charges.
The OFWs were arrested in a Doha resort on March 27, a day before Duterte’s 80th birthday, at a rally seeking the former president’s return to the Philippines. The rally was held without prior authorization from Qatari authorities.
In an earlier interview, the Vice President said that her visit aimed to comfort them after the incident.?
The Office of the Vice President (OVP) said following coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, media coverage and interviews involving the Vice President did not proceed in view of Qatar’s regulations and restrictions related to the issuance of media permits in public spaces.
After her stop in Qatar, the Vice President will proceed to The Hague to visit her father on May 30, and on June 2 and 3.
The OVP said the Vice President will participate in a peaceful gathering organized by various Filipino community groups in front of the International Criminal Court on May 31. She is expected to return to the country on June 4.
