Duterte children say sorry for dad’s ‘street thug’ persona; ex-wife denies abuse story
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The two outspoken children of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte have apologized for what they said was their father’s “street thug” personality but added that he is capable of leading the country.
The mayor’s former wife – Elizabeth Zimmerman – disowned a statement attributed to her, which “detailed” the “abuses” she suffered from Duterte when they were still living together.
“I apologize for his behavior,” former mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio wrote on Instagram on Tuesday in response to posts, urging her to “advice your father to protect his image.”
“Rest assured, he is intelligent enough for the highest position,” she added, followed by the hashtags “#thuglife #thatsourboy #dancedancedance #goodvibes #du30 #Duterte2016 #justDuit.”
Duterte-Carpio said her father has long been a lawyer by profession but “(i)n essence…(he has) the manners of a street thug.”
“…unfortunately, he does not have the finesse of Lady Diana,” she said.
Sara’s elder brother and Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte also defended his father even as he apologized for the way he talked.
He said while his father did not behave like royals, he was “very capable of becoming president.”
As this developed, Paolo said more issues – not only against his father – but against other Duterte family members as well, would likely crop up in the months to come.
“The political mudslinging has started,” he said.
Paolo cited recent issues that surfaced, including his alleged involvement in drugs, smuggling and carjacking.
“It has begun. They picked up dripping mud to throw at me and my family to discredit and paint a horrible image of us. They will call me drug lord, rapist, smuggler, and carnapper,” he said.
Paolo admitted that during his younger days, he was indeed an adventurous teenager, who had been “involved in bar fights, crazy car driving, raging temper and other misadventures, which may not be your ideal childhood experiences,” he said.
“I’m not the typical guy who visits museums, libraries, and school chapels. I am one of the few (or many) who went crazy over teenage life. I’ve had its best and worst. But all these didn’t send me down the drain. It made me a better person by earning and experiencing life’s lessons first-hand,” Paolo added.
He said the attempts by some agenda-driven people to paint them – out of malice and desperation – as “unworthy of people’s support and admiration” was “unfair.”
“(B)ut we are unperturbed. We are unperturbed because what matters presently are the people that we serve, no more no less,” Paolo said.
He said that the Duterte family has become stronger amid the flood of criticisms.
“(It is) not by disproving them all wrong head-on but by improving on the brand of service we are known to deliver to the people. We are a work in progress,” Paolo said.
He said at the end of the day, the people would judge them not by “false and reckless attributions” but by what they have done while in office.
Zimmerman, mother to Paolo, Sara and Sebastian, also disowned a statement circulating on social media – which detailed the mayor’s alleged abuses against her.
“Since the annulment, we remain friends and I never issued any statement about us about what we went through,” she said.
“I don’t know about it. If that what makes them happy, then let them do it but I know I never said anything about us,” Elizabeth, who has been reported to have breast cancer, added.
As to the mayor’s habit of cussing on every occasion, Duterte spokesperson Peter Laviña said “there you have a candidate who does not put up false images to win your votes.”
Laviña said while Duterte would regularly say the F-word, his accomplishments as politician would speak for him.
He appealed for understanding for the way the mayor spoke. SFM
