Former President Rodrigo Duterte was “very happy” to learn of his reelection as Davao City mayor, according to his brother Bong Duterte, who recently visited him at the ICC detention center in The Hague.
In an exclusive interview, Bong shared that the former president smiled upon hearing he secured over 660,000 votes in the May polls. “I told him he won overwhelmingly. He smiled,” Bong said.
Duterte’s sons Sebastian and Paolo also won as vice mayor and congressman, respectively, along with two of his grandchildren in local races.
Bong said Duterte remains in good health but is adjusting to limited contact with the outside world. “He’s doing well, but he’s a bit isolated, so I had to brief him on everything,” he added.
He said the former president was moved by reports of supporters near the detention facility and thanked those who continue to express solidarity.
Bong also noted it was his first time to visit Duterte since the arrest and shared mixed feelings over the Davao poll results, as only half of their allied “Duter10” slate succeeded. Further remarks, he said, would come from Vice President Sara Duterte.