PRRD in healthier days.
* He is however cheerful By Ivy Tejano
DAVAO CITY – Concerns are mounting within the Duterte family and friends over the health of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who is currently detained at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.
The Duterte family members reported that the former President has noticeably lost weight since his confinement, despite maintaining a cheerful and talkative demeanor during their visits.
Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte shared his observations at a press conference on Tuesday, June 17, after their recent visit to his father, with his mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, and sister, Vice President Sara Duterte.
“He seems okay when you talk to him—he jokes around and laughs—but you can see he has lost weight. He hugged me and kept joking, but he’s thinner now because he has lost his appetite,” Mayor Duterte said.
First District Rep. Paolo Duterte also echoed his younger brother’s concerns in an interview at The Hague, recounting that during his last visit, his father skipped breakfast and lunch and slept most of the time.
“He’s (Rody Duterte) much thinner now than at my previous visit. But he is still the same when he talks—always joking, always laughing,” Rep. Paolo said in a video footage, along with his wife, January, and their two children—Uno and Sabina.
Rep. Paolo has visited former President Duterte twice since his detention began on March 12. Other family members who have visited the elder Duterte include his former wife, Elizabeth, brother Benjamin, and wife Honeylet Avanceña with their daughter Veronica.
Vice President Duterte earlier expressed concern for her father, Rody Duterte. She said the interim release would be in the best interest of the former president, who is now 80. She added that their father’s health and well-being should come first.
While former President Duterte continues to show his trademark humor and energy in conversation, the family remains increasingly concerned about his physical well-being as his detention stretches on.
