Where will Duterte be this Christmas?

Like in previous years, President Rodrigo Duterte will celebrate Christmas Day with his family in his hometown city of Davao, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Friday.

“Gaya ng lahat ng mga Pilipino, kasama niya ang kanyang mga pamilya at mga mahal sa buhay at nandoon siya sa Davao (Like all Filipinos, he will be with his family and loved ones in Davao),” Roque told reporters in Malacanang.

He said Duterte would celebrate Christmas by having the traditional “noche buena” with his family and grandchildren.

“Sampu na po ngayon ang apo ng ating Presidente. So yan naman ang basehan ng pagkakaisa natin bilang isang bayan, pagdating sa Pasko pare-pareho ang ginagawa natin, talagang panahon para sa mga pamilya natin,” he said.

(The President now has 10 grandchildren. That’s usually the basis of our unity as a nation. We all do the same thing during Christmas, spending it with your family.)

But despite choosing to spend the holiday with his family, he won’t be away from the public eye. Roque said the President would also welcome his supporters in his home.

“Nakaugalian na na binibisita siya ng kanyang mga kababayan sa Davao. Alam kong nakapakadami ng bibisita sa kanya,” he said.

“Alam ko naghahanda siya dahil naku hindi bumababa sa 30,000 ang pumupunta sa akin sa siyudad ng Davao, yun ang sabi nya sa akin at talagang ang haba ng pila sa kanyang bahay at lahat talaga hinaharap niya,” he added.

(It has become a tradition that he receives visitors from Davao and that there will be many visitors. He intimated to me once that no fewer than 30,000 visitors flock to his house in Davao during Christmas and that he makes an effort to see and greet all of them.)

Aside from spending time with his family, Roque said the President would also visit cancer-stricken patients in Davao City, a tradition he has been doing for years even when he was still a city mayor.

Earlier this month, the President visited several public hospitals in Manila where he extended financial assistance to the hospitals, caring for indigent patients and children.

“Well, I’m sure iikot pa rin siya pero ginawa niya na dito sa Luzon yan at medyo hindi ko dapat inanunsyo yun pero naanunsyo at wala namang media coverage (I’m sure he will still make the rounds and he did that already in Luzon. I’m not supposed to tell you this since there’s no media coverage),” he said.