Villars voice support for embattled Rody

The Villars have come out to voice their support and sympathies for former president Rodrigo Duterte, with Sen. Cynthia Villar decrying his impending trial before a "foreign" court.

- By MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB and BELLA CARIASO

The International Criminal Court (ICC) based in The Hague officially took custody of Duterte on Wednesday (yesterday morning in Manila) after his arrest in Manila on Tuesday.

"I don't agree. We don't give our former president to the foreigner," the senator said.

Family patriarch and former Senate president Manny Villar said he was hurt to see "a very good friend, a former president who dedicated himself to public service, a Filipino citizen, being taken and charged by a foreign entity."

"It was my hope that former president Rodrigo Duterte would have the opportunity to defend himself in our courts under the protection of our country's rule of law. I spent years protecting Filipinos overseas when they were charged abroad," Villar said.

"But he is now in the custody of the ICC. I am certain that as a lawyer himself, former president Digong will avail himself of all legal remedies in order to defend himself before the ICC. I trust that the ICC will conduct fair judicial proceedings, protecting the rights of the defendants," he added.

Sen. Mark Villar, who was public works chief during the Duterte administration, wished his former boss good health and safety.