DAVAO CITY – Former President Rodrigo Duterte has no intention of selling their family home here, according to his son, Rep. Paolo Z. Duterte.
The Davao City solon shared his father’s sentiments during an interview aired on the Alvin & Tourism Facebook page following a visit to the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention center in The Hague, Netherlands, on Monday afternoon, June 30.
The elder Duterte said the property holds significant sentimental value, as it is the first home he acquired.
However, in a phone interview with DZRH radio on Saturday, Duterte’s partner, Honeylet Avanceña, said that the house was for sale.
Veronica Duterte, in a Facebook post, said: “For sale Duterte family house,” followed by a house and three crying emojis.
A “for sale” tarpaulin was seen posted on the gate of the house in Davao City on Saturday, but on Sunday, it had been taken down. No reason was given for its removal.
Rep. Duterte said he had asked his father about the house being up for sale, a topic he initially avoided to bring up due to the former President’s detention and delicate situation.
“I asked him if he was considering selling the house. He said no. That home was the first he bought with his money, and he doesn’t want to let it go,” Rep. Duterte told Filipinos gathered outside the ICC detention center.
“He told me, ‘Why would I sell that? That’s my very first house.’ He also mentioned that Honeylet has a much larger house, so there’s no need to sell the house at Doña Luisa Subdivision,” the lawmaker said.
Rep. Duterte asked his father if Honeylet has sold the property. The former President gave an unclear answer and said that should the house be sold, the family could not change what had already been done.
Rep. Duterte said that their mother — Elizabeth Zimmerman, the former President’s former wife — has expressed intention to welcome the former Chief Executive into their family home once he is released from detention.
“Our mother already said that when the time comes, and if God wills his release, he can stay in our family’s house. We all have our own homes, and if he doesn’t have one anymore, he can stay in any of ours,” Rep. Duterte said.
Rep. Duterte said that he discussed the matter with Vice President Sara Duterte and acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte. The siblings agreed that it is more than a private property.
“That house can no longer be considered just our father’s. It has become part of Davao City’s identity, now a known place where people gather,” Rep. Duterte said.
