Kitty calls ‘Rody’ Duterte best papa, an even better patriot

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — Veronica “Kitty” Duterte said that she will always be grateful to have former president Rodrigo Duterte as her father.

“i hold my head so high, knowing i have your fire, and i place my feet so grounded, knowing i come from you,” Kitty wrote in an Instagram post on Father’s Day, June 21.

She also expressed pride that her father stood apart from all the other public servants “who cry righteousness in their suits and treat politics as a stage.”

READ: Duterte dances with daughter Kitty on her 18th birthday

“nanay soling may have said you would end up as a ‘kargador’ but i know deep down she always knew you were an exception. you always had a way with people. you indeed unreluctantly carried them, without a hint of what it would weigh — like i always say, at the expense of everything and everyone you have.”

Duterte’s youngest child

Kitty, Rody’s youngest child, said that while her father holds a lot of “impressive, but superficial titles, legacies, credentials and achievements, i’ve been pondering about what among the things you’ve imparted to us, holds most merit.”

“and then it dawned on me — the whole time it was upbringing, the mere thing that makes us special. i know for certain we may not be as wealthy, as decent, as polished as the others, but what cannot be denied is the dominance of your character, that i can honestly attest, we all took after.”

Although they were apart on Father’s Day, Kitty said she continues to stay connected with her father while he remains in detention at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

READ: Duterte ICC trial: Confidentiality issues to be sorted in next hearing

She said they speak four times a week and that she is able to visit him once a month.

Before she ended her post, Kitty admitted that she could not help but feel a “sense of territoriality” whenever people referred to her father as “tatay.”

Moreover, she said, “it would be an insult to the gravity of your sacrifices to just call you ‘president.’ papa rody, you are the best papa — but an even better patriot, tatay digong.”