DAVAO CITY—The controversial campaign and election of President Rodrigo Duterte naturally trained the spotlight on his wife and children, who will be the First Family now that he is elected. Not all of them bask in the limelight, though.
The three children of Elizabeth Zimmerman and President-elect Rodrigo Duterte are very close, they would often laugh at things and share their fun with people. Even if all of them already have their own families, they would gather together at times to enjoy a simple lunch or dinner. None of them lives in a high-end subdivision.
The woman behind the successful Duterte siblings is Elizabeth, the former wife of Rodrigo. She is one of the simplest persons I, who live in Davao City, have ever met. Back in 2008, I saw her buying groceries in a wet market in Davao. My mom told me that she was the mayor’s ex-wife; I remember asking my mom if such was really her routine. My mom said that Ma’am Beth buys groceries in the wet market even without maids at her side. She added that Ma’am Beth was very kind to everybody.
She is a two-time cancer survivor. When Rodrigo fired at the person who said that he had throat cancer, it was because it was Beth who suffered such and survived it. Last year she was diagnosed with breast cancer and survived it once again.
She is currently living with her second child Sara, who looked after her when she was sick. Before Sara and Beth hit the campaign on their “Byaheng Duterte” bus, Sara was hesitant to get out of Davao City and campaign for her father because she was the one taking good care of her mother.
Elizabeth described her relationship with Duterte as a “friendly relationship” despite the annulment of their marriage in 1998. She said that she has always been supportive of Rodrigo’s political career. She said she even encouraged her ex-husband to run for president when he was still in doubt.
Elizabeth said Rodrigo was a very thoughtful person who still looks after her up to this moment. Rodrigo still gives her gifts on her birthday and other special occasions.
On the other hand, Elizabeth said that despite the millenials, her three children and even their grandchildren still retain the Filipino tradition of kissing the hands of their elders. She also revealed that among their three children. Rodrigo’s favorite will always be Sara. Elizabeth said that during the younger years of their children, whenever the three quarrelled it will always be Paolo or Baste who are blamed even if it is Sara’s fault.
Baste
Among the Duterte siblings, Sebastian or Baste had the least media appearances prior to the campaign. He is a known to be private person, unlike his older brother and sister who are into politics. Despite his desire for privacy, many comments circulate in the social media about his good looks.
The day his father Rodrigo filed his Certificate of Candidacy for mayor, the media went in search of the older Duterte. He was found in a firing range along Maa in this city, practicing his shooting. One of my colleagues noticed a new face beside the mayor and asked me who he was; I told her that it was Duterte’s new bodyguard, only later did I learn that it was Baste.
Months after I first saw Baste, he caught the attention of millions of Filipinos who tagged him as the new heartthrob, though he is far from being the prim and proper son of traditional politician. His arms are covered in tattoos, his lower lip is pierced and he sports a rugged hairstyle. Who would have thought that he is the son of the tough-talking mayor of Davao?
Baste has always been the baby of the family, Paolo is 13 years older than him while Sara is a decade older. Despite the age gap the three Duterte siblings remain close, they even have matching koi fish tattoos on their left legs.
Inday
Sara or Inday Sara on the other hand is the tough looking mayor who is very down to earth. Most of her friends say that she does not like persons who belittle the poor, a common dislike that she and her father shares. During her youth, she was like any ordinary girl who loves to go to the beach and drink with her friends.
During her term as mayor of Davao, she would roam around the city hall like an ordinary employee and would sometimes leave her bodyguard and go to work in a taxi. If Rodrigo is mostly late for his activities, Sara is the opposite. She will arrive even ahead of time for her scheduled activity.
Unknown to many, Sara named her daughter Sharky based on the movie Shark Tale because it was the first movie she and her husband Manases watched during their first date. Since both are beach lovers, they named their second child Stingray.
Pulong
Meanwhile, the eldest among the siblings is Paolo or Pulong; he is now on his 2nd term as vice mayor of Davao City, he rose from the ranks of being a barangay captain of Catalunan Gande to his vice mayoral post. Paolo is a funny guy, he calls his youngest son “pare” whenever the young one would stay in his office after school.
Pulong loves to crack jokes on all occasions. In fact, when he was apprehended for speeding the other week, Pulong made fun of it. He said that he was afraid of his wife who at that time was waiting for him to come home. He is seen as a cool vice mayor who even challenged his father and Sara to do the ice bucket challenge after he did it.
Pulong is a protective brother to his siblings. When Pulong was seen on television scolding a TV personality, it was because the latter made fun of Sara after she told him that what he did was wrong.
Now that their father will take on the bigger responsibility of being a father to the entire country, their simple life will also change. But at the end of the day, they will still remain as Pulong, Inday and Baste to their father, Rodrigo the new President of the country.