By Ivy Tejano
DAVAO CITY – Veronica “Kitty” Duterte, the youngest daughter of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, has publicly declared her support for her father’s political allies in the midterm elections, aligning herself with the PDP-Laban-backed slate known as the DUTERTEN.
Beyond familial affection, Veronica informed his father about her active participation in campaign activities in Davao City and the Philippines. She said she will stand with the elder Duterte’s allies – the DUTERTEN – and fight for his father.
Duterte endorsed and joined the campaign stage of 10 Senate bets of the PDP–Laban, a party which he chairs, before he was brought to the International Criminal Court’s detention facility at The Hague, Netherlands, on March 11, for alleged crimes against humanity.
“I will be with your DUTERTEN and cover parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) in Luzon. This is my small way of honoring my promise to you,” Veronica said in her letter to her father on Tuesday, April 29.
DUTERTEN includes Senators Bong Go and Ronald Dela Rosa, lawyer-singer Jimmy Bondoc, Atty. Raul Lambino, actor Philip Salvador, Atty. Jayvee Hinlo, Sagip party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, Dr. Richard Mata, and former Executive Sec. Vic Rodriguez.
Veronica’s statement comes as the Duterte family plays a significant role in Philippine politics, with other members remaining active in various capacities. Her declaration signals her growing involvement in the public sphere, aligning herself with her father’s legacy.
“Know that I am unafraid and unswayed. Don’t worry too much about me. I’m a big girl, your big girl. That makes me just like you,” Veronica said, adding that she will return to her matters after the elections, including writing letters to her father regularly.
Duterte’s youngest daughter also revealed a few plans for herself, which she will share with her father in the following letters. She ended the letter tenderly, expressing her deep respect for her father as a daughter.
“If you hear ‘I love you, Kitty loves you’ at night, know it is me. Like the song, Dada, you are always on my mind. All my love, hugs, and smooches,” Veronica said in a letter that reveals her excitement for a scheduled family call and her eagerness to be picked to speak with her father.
The letter also offers a rare and intimate glimpse into the private world of the Duterte family, as Veronica also shared a dinner mishap involving her sneaky swap of fried chicken with pompano on her sister Mira’s plate, a move she admitted would not fool Mira for long.
“She used to like biting my ‘chubby’ legs,” Veronica wrote fondly. “But according to her, she is a big girl now and it’s high time that she stops.”
Amid the humor and warmth, Veronica also made a heartfelt plea for the elder Duterte to return home soon. “Don’t wait for us to grow so much,” she urged, joking that their “big and long hands might outgrow” his.
The letter, signed simply “Kitty,” has since been widely shared by supporters, drawing messages of encouragement and admiration for the young Duterte’s devotion to family and country.
