President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday joined millions of Filipinos in the observance of All Saints’ Day as he also visited the tomb of his parents in his hometown Davao City.
Duterte flew to Davao City and went to the final resting place of his parents, Governor Vicente and mother Soledad, at the Roman Catholic Cemetery after he led a post-disaster briefing in typhoon-hit Isabela.
Photos shared by his longtime aide, Christopher “Bong” Go, showed the President seating in front of his parents’ tomb. In one of the photos, he was seen looking down, with both hands on his ears.
During his briefing in Isabela, Duterte said everyone has “obligations to the dead,” citing the need to visit his parents’ tomb.
“It’s practically part of the culture but more than that, it’s something that’s very important for us to commune with our ancestors,” he said.
After his insurmountable lead during the 2016 presidential elections, the then Davao City mayor visited his parents’ tomb and wept uncontrollably.
READ: Duterte weeps at parents’ tomb, pleads for guidance
Duterte has said that he wants to buried in his parents’ tomb when his time comes and not at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City where Philippine Presidents are usually laid to rest. /ee