Former President Rodrigo Duterte has urged the Filipino public to shift their attention away from him and focus on their own lives, according to his son, Davao City First District Representative Paolo Duterte.
Speaking to a group of supporters outside the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention center in The Hague on Wednesday, July 2, the younger Duterte shared that his father, now detained overseas, appealed for people to stop worrying about him, saying he is already old.
“To the Filipino people, thank you for your sincere support and prayers for my father. We truly appreciate it,” Rep. Duterte said, acknowledging the outpouring of concern during what he described as a difficult time for their family.
The congressman, who had been regularly visiting his father, said it would be his final visit for now as his mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, will take over. She will be joined by her granddaughter, Mikhaila Maria “Sharkey” Duterte Carpio, daughter of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Rep. Duterte said the visit was emotionally charged, particularly when the former president removed his jacket in front of his grandchildren to show how much weight he had lost. The moment struck a chord with Sabina, Paolo’s daughter with his wife January, who gently encouraged her grandfather to eat more.
Despite efforts to cheer him up with familiar flavors, bringing his favorite dried fish or tuyo remains off-limits. “He misses his comfort food, like ‘tuyo,’ but you can’t bring that in. The whole detention area might end up smelling like it,” Paolo said with a hint of humor.
