MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday wished for a happy and contented life for mothers around the world in celebration of Mother’s Day.
“Sa lahat ng mga nanay sa Pilipinas, at sa buong mundo na lang, happy Mother’s Day and I wish you a very happy and contented life,” Duterte said in a video message posted on former Special Assistant to the President Bong Go’s Facebook page.
Duterte said that he knows the hardships that mothers go through since he saw the efforts of his own mother, Soledad.
“I know how is it to be a mother because may nanay ako at nakita ko ang hirap at ginhawang ginawa niya para sa pamilya namin,” Duterte said.
Duterte’s mother, fondly called “Nanay Soleng,” died in 2012 at the age of 95.
Nanay Soleng, who was also a teacher, was at the forefront of the Yellow Friday Movement of Davao, which helped fan the February Edsa Revolution that pushed former President Cory Aquino to power.
READ: Duterte matriarch dies at 95
In a statement released by Malacañang, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said that no one can equal the tender, love, and care that mothers can give their children, adding that a mother’s heart is the “loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God.”
“The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God, as St. Therese of Liseux said, is the heart of a mother. From morning until dawn, she struggles to make the child not only happy but protected from any harm, injury or illness. She toils as well for the realization of the offspring’s dream,” Panelo said.
In the Philippines, Mother’s Day is celebrated every second Sunday of May. (Editor: Julie Espinosa)