Rodrigo R. Duterte

Rodrigo R. Duterte
Mayor of Davao City
Incumbent
Assumed office June 30, 2013
Preceded by	Sara Duterte
In office June 30, 2001 – June 30, 2010
Preceded by	Benjamin C. de Guzman
Succeeded by	Sara Duterte
In office February 2, 1988 – March 19, 1998
Preceded by	Jacinto T. Rubillar
Succeeded by	Benjamin C. de Guzman
Vice-Mayor of Davao City
In office June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2013
Preceded by	Sara Duterte
Succeeded by	Paolo Duterte
In office May 2, 1986 – November 27, 1987 Officer in Charge
Preceded by	Cornelio P. Maskariño
Succeeded by	Gilbert G. Abellera
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Davao City's 1st district
In office June 30, 1998 – June 30, 2001
Preceded by	Prospero Nograles
Succeeded by	Prospero Nograles
Personal details
Born	Rodrigo Roa Duterte (1945-03-28) March 28, 1945 Maasin, Southern Leyte, Philippines
Political party	PDP-Laban (National) Hugpong Sa Tawong Lungsod (Local)
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Abellana Zimmerman (Annulled)
Domestic partner	Honeylet Avancena
Children	Paolo Sara Sebastian Veronica
Alma mater	Lyceum of the Philippines University San Beda College of Law
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Website	Official Website

Rodrigo "Rody" Roa Duterte (born March 28, 1945), nicknamed Digong, is a Filipino lawyer and politician of Visayan descent. Duterte is among the longest-serving mayors in the Philippines. He has been mayor of Davao City, a highly urbanized city on Mindanao island, for 7 terms, totalling more than 22 years. He has also served as vice-mayor and congressman in the city.

On November 21, 2015, Duterte declared his candidacy for President of the Philippines in the upcoming 2016 election after a period of banter.

Early life

Duterte was born on March 28, 1945 in Maasin City, Southern Leyte, Philippines during the Commonwealth rule to Vicente G. Duterte, who served as Governor of (the then-undivided) Davao and Soledad Roa, a school teacher and a civic leader.

Soledad "Soleng" Roa-Duterte, mother of Rodrigo and widow of the late Vicente Duterte (died 1988) who served as Davao Provincial Governor from 1959 to 1965, was born on November 14, 1916 in Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte to Eleno Roa and Fortunata Gonzales. She finished her elementary and secondary education in her native town. She pursued her college education at the Philippine Normal School in Manila in 1939. She was connected with the Bureau of Public Schools as a teacher when she met and married lawyer Vicente Duterte of Cebu province. Vicente, prior to being provincial governor of Davao, was once a mayor of Danao City in Cebu. Rodrigo's cousin Ronald, on the other hand, served as Cebu City mayor from 1983 to 1986. Ronald’s father, Ramon Duterte, also held the position from 1957 to 1959. The Dutertes consider the political families of the Durano and the Almendras clan as relatives.

The Dutertes came to the Davao Region in 1951. Vicente as a lawyer engaged in private practice, while Soledad taught in public schools as a teacher. Mrs. Duterte, however, retired as a supervisor in 1952 when her lawyer-husband joined politics. She left government service owing to the demands of being a wife of an active politician. As wife of the governor, she became familiar with the social and economic problems of the people, especially out-of-school youth, women, children and the disabled.

Rodrigo spent his elementary days at the Sta. Ana Elementary School in Davao City, where he graduated in 1956. He finished his secondary education at the Holy Cross Academy of Digos in Digos City, Davao del Sur after being expelled twice from previous schools, including one in Ateneo de Davao University due to misconduct. For his tertiary education, he took up a Bachelor of Arts degree at the Lyceum of the Philippines University in Manila, where he graduated in 1968. He also obtained a law degree from San Beda College of Law, still in Manila, in 1972. In the same year, he passed the bar exam. Duterte eventually became Special Counsel at the City Prosecution Office in Davao City from 1977-1979; Fourth Assistant City Prosecutor from 1979-1981; Third Assistant City Prosecutor from 1981-1983; and Second Assistant City Prosecutor from 1983-1986.

Rodrigo's mother Soledad died on February 4, 2012 at the age of 95.

Davao City

After the 1986 People Power Revolution, Duterte was appointed officer-in-charge vice mayor. In 1988, he ran for mayor and won, serving until 1998. He set a precedent by designating deputy mayors that represented the Lumad and Moro peoples in the city government, which was later copied in other parts of the Philippines. In 1998, because he was term-limited to run again for mayor, he ran for the House of Representatives and won as Congressman of the 1st District of Davao City. In 2001, he ran again for mayor in Davao and was again elected for his fourth term. He was re-elected in 2004 and in 2007.

Davao City under Duterte won the National Literacy Hall of Fame Award for being a three-time first-place winner in the Outstanding Local Government Unit, Highly Urbanized City category. In 2013, Davao City sent rescue and medical teams to Tacloban to give aid to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). Financial assistance was also given to Bohol and Cebu for the earthquake victims.

Crime figures reported by Duterte, alleged that crime in the city was significantly reduced during the period 1985–2000. Duterte suggested that there had been a decrease in crime from a triple-digit crime rate per 1,000 people in 1985 to 0.8 cases per 10,000 inhabitants in the period 1999 to 2005. Furthermore, according to police statistics, the population in Davao City grew from 1.12 million to 1.44 million between 1999 and 2008 (29 per cent). In the corresponding period, the incidence of crime rose from 975 to 3,391 (248 per cent).

One article of TIME magazine shows him patroling in Davao City’s streets on one of his big motorcycles, leading a convoy complete with blaring sirens and M16 rifles. Local news reports show him foregoing the pomp, opting to inspect in a regular taxi, surprising his would-be passengers. In early September 2015, an infamous incident was reported regarding a tourist being forced to swallow his own cigarette butt in a local bar in Davao City after the tourist arrogantly refused to comply with the public anti-smoking ordinance of the city. Duterte was personally contacted by the bar owner and went in forcing the tourist to swallow his cigarette butt. Duterte was then met with criticisms especially from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

Though supportive of the extra-judicial killings of habitual drug users and dealers, Duterte used city government funds to build a ₱12-million drug rehabilitation and treatment center which provides 24-hour services. In 2003, he offered a ₱2,000 monthly allowance to drug addicts who personally approached him and committed to kick the habit. Duterte is also publicly known for visiting remote New People's Army camps negotiating peace transaction efforts and advocating diplomacy.

Duterte was also the first mayor in the Philippines to give formal representation to the indigenous Lumad and Muslim community, designating deputy mayors to represent their interests in the local government. The anti-discrimination ordinance he mandated, was reportedly a response to news he received that Muslims were being discriminated against by real estate agents.

In a survey released by crowd-sourced rating site Numbeo.com dated April 30, 2015, Davao City ranked 9th as the safest city in the world. In the following month, Davao City's rank moved up to the 5th spot and in June 2015, Davao City now holds the 4th spot as the safest city in the world.

In 2010, he was elected vice mayor, succeeding his daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, who was elected as mayor. He has been offered the Interior Secretary post 4 times, by presidents Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and Benigno S. Aquino III but rejected all of them. In April 2014, he also declined a nomination for the World Mayor Prize, given by an international body to outstanding mayors saying "he was just doing his job." Among the other awards Duterte also refused to accept for Davao City includes the one given by the American Cancer Society and the 2010 anti-smoking award in Singapore.

Laws

• Through the support of Duterte, the City Council amended ordinance No. 1627, Series of 1994, which imposed a prohibition on selling, serving, drinking and consumption of liquor and alcoholic beverages from 13:00 until 08:00.
• Executive Order no. 39 was signed by Duterte, setting the speed limits for all kinds of motor vehicles within the territorial jurisdiction of Davao City in the interest of public safety and order.
• Duterte also signed Executive Order no. 04, Series of 2013 to impose an order creating the implementing of rules and regulations for the new comprehensive anti-smoking ordinance no. 0367-12, Series of 2012.
• Davao City's Firecracker Ban was also implemented with ordinance no. 060-02/1406-02, Series of 2002 by the City Council through the support of Duterte.
• Another known accomplishment was that the City Government of Davao was able to acquire 10 more ambulances for central 911 intended for medical emergencies and 42 new mobile patrol vehicles and motorcycles for the Davao City Police Office (the first and only 9-1-1 emergency telephone number in Asia).
• Duterte, through E.O no. 24, ordered all shopping malls and commercial centers to install, operate and maintain high end and high definition closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in all entrance and exit points of their premises.

Criticism

Main article: Davao death squads

Duterte, who has been dubbed "The Punisher" by Time magazine, has been criticized by human rights groups and by Amnesty International for tolerating extrajudicial killings of alleged criminals allegedly by the vigilante Davao death squads. Duterte has been heavily criticised by numerous organizations for condoning and even inciting murders to take place during his leadership. In the April 2009 UN General Assembly of the Human Rights Council, the UN report (Eleventh Session Agenda item 3, par 21) said, "The Mayor of Davao City has done nothing to prevent these killings, and his public comments suggest that he is, in fact, supportive." Human Rights Watch reported that in 2001-2002, Duterte appeared on local television and radio and announced the names of "criminals", some of whom were later executed. In July 2005 at a crime summit in the Manila Hotel, the politician said, "Summary execution of criminals remains the most effective way to crush kidnapping and illegal drugs".

Unlike many politicians, Duterte is forthright and plain speaking. In 2009 said: "If you are doing an illegal activity in my city, if you are a criminal or part of a syndicate that preys on the innocent people of the city, for as long as I am the mayor, you are a legitimate target of assassination."

Duterte responded to the reported arrest and subsequent release of a notorious drug lord in Manila by saying: "Here in Davao, you can’t go out alive. You can go out, but inside a coffin. Is that what you call extra-judicial killing? Then I will just bring a drug lord to a judge and kill him there, that will no longer be extra-judicial."

Referring to the arrest of a suspected rice smuggler, Duterte spoke out in the state senate saying, "If this guy would go to Davao and starts to unload (smuggled rice)… I will gladly kill him." For these comments, Duterte was attacked in an editorial in The Manila Times, which condemned "the mentality of lawlessness and vigilantism." The newspaper argued that this culture of impunity enabled those in power, including officials, "private warlords and businessmen vigilantes" to take retribution against those they felt had acted against their interests: "They kill journalists exposing corruption and human rights activists exposing abusive police and military men." Following Duterte's comments in relation to killing a person suspected of smuggling rice, the office of the President of the Philippines issued a statement saying, “Killing a person is against the law. The President has been firm in the belief that no one is above the law. We must not resort to extralegal methods."

In 2015, Duterte confirmed his links to extrajudicial killings in Davao, and warned that if elected president he may kill up to 100,000 criminals.

Human Rights Watch have called on him to stop the death squads in the city.

Presidential bid

Main article: Rodrigo Duterte presidential campaign, 2016

In early 2015, Duterte made hints to the media of his intent to run for the presidency come 2016, with the promise of abolishing the Philippine Congress altogether in favor of a Parliament should he win. Earlier in February 2014, Duterte was reportedly enjoying the support of several netizens who were lauding his performance as mayor of Davao, especially in maintaining peace and order in the city, but he was quick to shrug off calls for him to run for President, saying he was not qualified for a higher public office. A year later, Duterte said in a Baguio federalism forum that he'll only run for president "if (it is) to save the republic." Duterte cited the need of about 10 to 15 billion pesos for a campaign war chest as what was keeping him from running. Days later, however, Duterte "re-entered" PDP-Laban; he maintained he never left the party, and only had to stand under a local party banner (Hugpong) in the 2013 local election in order to ensure his victory. PDP-Laban president Aquilino Pimentel III later said that Duterte was among his party's options for a presidential candidate for 2016, noting that the party's position on federalism coincides with Duterte's advocacy. A few days after reports came out saying incumbent Vice-President Jejomar Binay (a presidential aspirant) was eyeing Duterte as his possible running mate, Duterte issued a statement saying he was not interested in running for a national post.

In September 2014, Duterte already declined presidential aspirant and incumbent senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago's offer to be her running mate, saying that instead of picking him as the senator's running mate, she could ask former defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. instead. In March 2015, Lakas–CMD national president Ferdinand Martin Romualdez announced that his party was preparing for the 2016 elections; incumbent congressman Danilo Suarez remarked that they were convincing Teodoro to come out of retirement and run anew for a high office. However, in October 2015, Santiago chose Bongbong Marcos as her running mate.

Later, during the June 21, 2015 airing of his weekly program in a local channel (Gikan Sa Masa, Para Sa Masa), Duterte stated that he was considering suggestions from his friends and supporters to run for President. He also added that he will stop expressing non-interest in starting a presidential campaign.

However, at the ASIA CEO Forum in Makati held on June 25, Duterte again stated that he would not run for the national office and said that he never desired to do so. A month later, however, Duterte, responding to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima's statement that she would not run with Duterte as a matter of principle, said that he would campaign against the Liberal Party if de Lima is drafted, calling her "hypocritical" and her principles as "rotten."

On August, while at a meeting with military officers, Duterte spoke with Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison. Duterte said that he told Sison that he would run for President if the CPP's armed wing, the New People's Army, abandons its over-40-year insurgency, saying "Armed struggle as a means to achieve change is passe in the modern world we are living in today". Duterte disclosed that Sison was asking him about his plans for 2016 and that he told Sison that he didn't have plans yet.

On September 7, 2015, in a press conference held at Davao City, Duterte officially declared he will not be running for President in 2016 and apologized to all of his supporters on the decision. He additionally stated that he might retire from politics after his term as mayor of Davao City ends in 2016 and his daughter runs for the office. Other factors of his possible retirement include age, health concerns and his family's objections. Mixed reactions erupted in social media hours after the declaration and several supporters still continued to petition online, urging the mayor to revert his decision.

On September 26, 2015, a large number of supporters gathered at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila to urge Duterte to officially run for the presidency in 2016. The gathering was dubbed 'The Million People March' by the media, but its followers preferred to call it 'The People's Call'. Duterte was not present at the event and was in Zamboanga City to assist a kidnapping case involving three foreigners and a Filipina, taken by armed men in a luxury resort in Samal Island Monday night that week. It was then reported that the (hashtag)#Duterte2016 topped on Twitter with a 1,966,830 reach and 2,641,635 impressions during the rally. In a statement read by retired Armed Forces chief Hermogenes Esperon to the crowd at Quirino Grandstand, Duterte asked for more time to “do some final soul-searching” as per a text message sent by Duterte himself. Since Duterte claimed that one of the primary reasons he declined for a presidential bid was lack of finances needed to bankroll a campaign, supporter Atty. Vitaliano Aguirre on the other hand reported that a group of businessmen had pledged P1 billion to fund Duterte's bid if ever Duterte accepted the offer. One offer was made by Benigno Gopez, who spoke for a group of anonymous businessmen, after the gathering of Duterte supporters at Quirino Grandstand on September 26. Despite being an undeclared candidate, Pulse Asia Research Director Ana Tabunda still considered Duterte "a serious contender" as he was already ranked 4th in a presidential survey done by Pulse Asia from late August to early September as well as in a latest Social Weather Stations survey. He was behind announced and declared candidates Grace Poe, Mar Roxas and Jejomar Binay. Duterte's long-time political rival and critic, former House Speaker Prospero Nograles, also expressed his support for Duterte if ever the latter decided to run for the presidency. On September 29, incumbent Senator Alan Peter Cayetano declared his intention to run for the 2016 Vice-Presidential post in a press event held in Davao City and considered Duterte his first choice as running mate for the presidential post; this eventually led to a meeting between the two parties. A day after meeting with Cayetano, Duterte met with another incumbent senator, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr., who also went to Davao City to personally talk to Duterte. Marcos was reportedly considering running for the Vice-Presidential post as well; Marcos had not yet made any formal proclamation at that time. As in the Cayetano meeting, Duterte still declared that he was not running for president.

On October 13, 2015, in a press conference held at a local hotel in Davao City, Duterte finalized his decision not to run for the presidency, with daughter Sara's objection being pointed out as one of the main contributors.

On October 15, 2015, Duterte's authorized representative, Christopher "Bong" Go, filed Duterte's certificate of candidacy (COC) on his behalf at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Manila, for a re-election bid for the Davao City mayoralty post. A music video with a disclaimer being "non-paid" entitled "Takbo" (Run in English translation) was then uploaded on the same day by rap artist Njel de Mesa, with a theme to urge Duterte to run for the presidency. The song was composed by singer Jimmy Bondoc and featured various artists including Bondoc and de Mesa, Luke Mejares, Paolo Santos, Pido Lalimarmo, Thor, Gail Blanco and other OPM artists. Bondoc then stated that he would offer to write another song if the mayor finally decided to join the presidential race in 2016.

On the afternoon of October 16, the last day for filing of COC and a day after her father's submission for the same position, Duterte's daughter, Sara, posted on her Instagram account a photo of her COC, while hinting that her father would seek a higher post and withdraw his COC for Mayor re-election. However, in a radio interview with Bong Go, he stated that while Sara's COC was filled out, it was not received by the Comelec in Davao City. Hundreds of supporters were reportedly rallying outside the Comelec office expecting for Duterte to file his candidacy on the last day of submission before the cut-off at 5:00pm. Duterte’s possibility of substitution until December 10 was opened after Martin Diño, father of celebrity Liza Diño and chairman of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) and former barangay captain of Brgy. San Antonio, Quezon City, filed his candidacy for president on the last minute. Diño is a member of PDP-Laban, the same party advocating the federalism system where Duterte belongs. Diño clarified that there was a "clerical error" on his submitted COC (running for Pasay City mayor, instead of president). On their general meeting held in Pasay City on October 26, members of PDP-Laban had expressed their support to Diño in his presidential bid. On October 21, Duterte told CNN Philippines' News.PH via phone patch interview that there was still a chance he would change his mind. The decision, however, would have to be made by the PDP-Laban.

On October 26, 2015, Duterte said on an interview that the deadline for his last decision if he will seek the presidency is on December 10. He also warned the people to abide by the law if he wins. On October 27, PDP-Laban has made it official that Duterte will substitute as the party's presidential bet if aspirant Martin Diño withdraws or is disqualified by the Commission of Elections (Comelec) from the 2016 race. Two days later, PDP-Laban standard bearer Martin Diño officially withdrew his presidential bid and named Duterte as his substitute because there’s a possibility that Diño might be declared as a nuisance candidate by the COMELEC. On October 30, an alleged campaign video of Duterte and Cayetano circulated on social media that put hopes on Duterte's candidacy as Cayetano's running mate. However, Duterte's aide Bong Go said on an interview that Duterte's mind hasn't changed yet but will continue on soul-searching with his family to know if he's going to run in the upcoming elections. On November 1, Duterte said that nothing still hasn't changed and he isn't fit for national office. He also said that he is still waiting for an official communication from his party about his possible candidacy; Duterte will also wait if his daughter will agree to substitute for him at the mayoral race of Davao and he will retire from public service if Sara agreed to do so. On November 2, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) executive Dr. Arwin Serrano said that Martin Diño is deemed to face an election sabotage complaint because of proposing Duterte as his substitute for him, however, Diño denied the allegations that his filing of candidacy is just a front to pave the way for Duterte's possible substitution. In an interview with Comelec Chairman Andres D. Bautista on November 3, he stated that, although they have noted Diño's withdrawal, he additionally mentioned that they won't move with any further action with regard to a possible substitution until they have Duterte's consent and unless it would be made official with a COC and a certificate of nomination and acceptance from PDP-Laban. Duterte himself then further clarified that his decision of acceptance for the substitution offer would be on the deadline itself come December 10.

On November 21 in a private gathering with fraternity brothers from San Beda College of Law, Duterte formally announced his presidential bid and also finally accepted Alan Peter Cayetano's offer to be his running mate. Duterte said he is disappointed over the decision made by the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) regarding Grace Poe's citizenship as well as the current administration's handling of the ‘laglag-bala’ issue. Duterte further stated that he will file his candidacy immediately after he reached out to his party.

On November 27, 2015, Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy for president through his representative Atty. Salvador Medialdea in Metro Manila shortly after withdrawing his COC for Davao City mayoralty re-election. The document was filed along with a certificate of nomination and acceptance from PDP-Laban signed by Duterte and the party's vice president, Engr. Salvador Ty. In withdrawing his COC for Davao City mayor, Duterte named his daughter, Sara, as his substitute. Sara formally submitted the document for substitution at Comelec Davao and both COCs were received.

The validity of Duterte's substitution was further assessed by Comelec and on December 7, Comelec rejected a petition to designate Martin Diño as a nuisance candidate and while the Comelec legal department has assured Duterte that the first COC he filed through a representative was valid, he personally filed his COC at the Comelec national office in Intramuros, Manila on December 8 to formalize his bid for the presidency in the 2016 elections. An estimated 500 people showed up, including students from Duterte’s alma mater Lyceum of the Philippines, to express their support.

On December 17, Comelec officially recognized Duterte’s substitution of Martin Diño as PDP-Laban’s presidential candidate for the May 2016 elections. Comelec Chairman Andres "Andy" D. Bautista said in a press conference on the same day:

This means he (Duterte) is now in our list of candidates. So that was an administrative decision that the Comelec en banc made.

The poll body voted 6-1 in favor of recognizing Duterte’s candidacy. Comelec Senior Commissioner Christian Robert Lim pointed out that Comelec has two functions — administrative and quasi-judicial. The decision on Duterte’s candidacy, he said, is administrative.

Advocacy

Main article: Federalism in the Philippines

In 2014, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte initiated the holding of the summit: "I am calling on all responsible leaders in the island, from government and civil society organizations, from the business and academe sectors, the leaders of the Church, the military and the youth, let us all forge a well-informed, united front, so we could craft a collective plan of action for Mindanao’s true identity reflective of what its peoples and tribes truly wish and aspire for", Duterte said in a statement.

Among those who are expected to attend are former President Fidel V. Ramos, Msgr. Fernando Capalla, Ateneo de Davao University President Fr. Joel Tabora, former Mindanao Economic Development Council chair Paul G. Dominguez, and retired General Hermogenes Esperon. Local government heads from Mindanao cities, towns and provinces are also expected to attend, as well as Catholic bishops and Muslim religious leaders.

In September 2014, Duterte met with former mayors and governors in an initial effort to revive calls for a federal form of government. The group, which called itself Mindanao Council of Leaders, made their position public after an informal caucus. Present during the said meeting were Bukidnon Governor Jose Maria Zubiri, former Cagayan de Oro mayors Reuben Canoy and Vicente Emano, former Zamboanga del Norte congressman Romeo Jalosjos, and former Davao del Norte representative Pantaleon Alvarez.

A month later, Duterte was in Cebu City and met with Cebu officials. The event was sponsored by the Federal Movement for a Better Philippines and coincided with the induction of its new set of officers held at the Sacred Heart Center in Cebu City.

Personal life

Duterte has siblings named Benjamin "Bong" Duterte, a one-term city councilor of Davao between 1992-1995, younger sister Jocelyn Duterte who lost in several attempts to grab a Third District city council seat as well as for the mayor post in 2001, and Blue Boy Duterte who ran and lost in the First District congressional race in 1998. Duterte is also known for his straightforward and vocal attitude in public especially on interviews, showing no hesitation using profanity profusely live on-screen in numerous occasions despite of formal requests by media groups and schools beforehand.

Duterte was once married to Elizabeth Abellana Zimmerman, a flight stewardess who hails from Davao City of German American descent, with whom he has 3 children namely: Paolo ("Pulong"), Sara ("Inday Sara") and Sebastian ("Baste"). Out of his 3 children from Zimmerman, 2 (Paolo and Sara) ventured into politics while Baste, with no interest into politics, ventured into business. In 2012, Duterte made a notorious remark in a media interview regarding an incident where Paolo's name was allegedly linked to a carnapping syndicate led by Ryan Yu. Duterte infamously quoted "Kill my son Paolo if he is involved in crime". Paolo was never pressed with charges for lack of evidences and eventually won the Davao City vice mayoralty post in 2013.

Rodrigo Duterte has been publicly very open about his infidelity and philandering during the course of his marriage with Zimmerman citing it as the reason being for his failed first marriage and had never denied the issue when asked in interviews. In 1998, Zimmerman filed a petition with the Regional Trial Court in Pasig to nullify her marriage. Duterte on the other hand never appeared in court and did not protest Zimmerman’s petition. Two years later, the court decided in her favor, ending the 27-year marriage of Duterte and Zimmerman. Duterte and Zimmerman has been in good terms in recent years with Zimmerman stating, “Yes, he [Rodrigo] is really a very good leader. That is all he is. But when it comes to family, he is not capable of taking care of it.” In 2001, Zimmerman eventually ran for a seat in the city council but lost. Duterte and Zimmerman are said to have patched things up and appears to be civil to each other, 15 years after their marriage has been declared null and void. Zimmerman also emphasized in an interview that despite Duterte's womanizing, he listens to activist women and set up a program that mainstreams “gender and development” issues resulting to Davao City winning the Galing Pook award for “gender-responsive” governance in 2004. On November 30, 2015, he openly admitted to be a "womanizer".

Despite of his status being listed as single in the Davao City government website, Duterte is currently living with his partner Honeylet, a nurse, with whom he has 1 daughter named Veronica ("Kitty").

Duterte is known for being an avid fan of big bikes but detests luxury cars. He once owned a second-hand Harley Davidson and currently a Yamaha Virago. He was once a habitual smoker but he eventually quit after a doctor's suggestion due to health concerns. Duterte is also openly supportive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights and is an avid reader of Robert Ludlum and Sydney Sheldon novels.

Duterte also has his own local show in Davao City called Gikan Sa Masa, Para Sa Masa ("From the Masses, For the Masses") aired as a blocktimer on ABS-CBN Davao. He is also a member of Lex Talionis Fraternitas, a fraternity based in the San Beda College of Law and the Ateneo de Davao University.

Despite being raised Catholic, he was thought to have cursed Pope Francis for the pontiff's visit to the Philippines in January 2015 because it caused a traffic jam. He immediately then apologized through the media saying he wasn't 'cursing' the Pope but the government's way of preparing the Pope's visit. Duterte later revealed that he was one of the many students who was sexually abused by a priest from his previous school, Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) during circa late 1950s. After he was challenged by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and AdDU officials to name the priest and file a case against him, Duterte then revealed the priest's name as Fr. Mark Falvey, SJ (d. 1975). The Jesuits of the Society of Jesus in the Philippines confirmed that according to press reports in the United States, in May 2007, the Society of Jesus agreed to a tentative payout of USD16 million to settle claims that Falvey sexually abused at least nine children in Los Angeles from 1959 to 1975. Accusations against Falvey began in 2002 and he was never charged with a crime. Additionally in May 2008, the Diocese of Sacramento paid USD100,000 settlement to a person allegedly raped and molested by Mark’s brother, Fr. Arthur Falvey. However, it was not clearly indicated in the report if Mark Falvey was assigned at the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Davao. When asked why he didn't complain when the abuse supposedly happened, Duterte claimed that he was too young to complain about the priest’s abuse and was intimated by authorities at that time. He also stated that he never disclose that information ever since, including his family, after he was expelled and moved to a different high school. On December 4, 2015, Duterte along with his executive assistant Bong Go, visited and talked with Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles and Bishop George Rimando, together with Monsignor Paul Cuison to get lectured on Christian Values. Duterte committed to lessen profanity in public gatherings and even assured that he will donate ₱1,000 to Caritas Davao everytime he would swear in public. He also stated that he will be planning to visit the Vatican at a later time.

Duterte personally disclosed that he suffers from Buerger’s Disease, an inflammation of blood vessels mostly in the limbs that has been traced to previous habitual smoking, contrary to earlier rumors of throat cancer.

Further reading

• "The Punisher" (Archive). Vice.

External links

• Rodrigo "Rody" R. Duterte Official Website
• Rody Duterte Mayor's Profile at the Davao City Official Website
• Sangguniang Panglungsod of Davao
• Online Petition for Duterte to run as President of the Philippines 2016
• Davao City by Battad
• Rodrigo R. Duterte on Facebook