If elected, Duterte says daughter Sara will be first lady

MANILA, Philippines – Former Davao City mayor Sara Duterte would act as first lady if her father, Rodrigo Duterte, is elected president.

Naming his daughter first lady would make things less complicated, Duterte said in an interview over radio dzBB’s “Ikaw Na Ba?”

“There would be no trouble if Inday Sara is picked,” he said in Filipino.

Duterte was once married to Elizabeth Zimmerman, a flight attendant from Davao City.

Of German-American descent, she is the mother of Sara, Paolo and Sebastian.

In 1998, Zimmerman filed a petition with the Pasig Regional Trial Court to nullify their marriage.

Duterte never appeared in court and did not contest Zimmerman’s petition.

Two years later, the court decided in her favor, annulling the 27-year marriage.

Duterte is currently living with his partner Honeylet, a nurse, with whom he has one daughter named Veronica.

If Elizabeth and Honeylet would agree, they could both live in Malacañang, he said.

“I have a wife, and I’m separated from the first,” he said in Filipino.

“My second wife is good. If they would agree, they could have one room each there (Malacañang). I pity my  first wife.”

Duterte said he would not participate in a Commission on Elections-sponsored debate if  disqualification cases against him are not resolved.

“Am I or am I not a candidate?” he asked in Filipino.

“I want to see the resolution. What happens if I join the debate and the following day I would be disqualified? I would look like a fool.”

The Comelec’s First Division has not yet decided on the four disqualification cases against Duterte.

Petitioners have asked the Comelec to cancel Duterte’s certificate of candidacy (COC) on grounds that his substitution for Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban standard-bearer Martin Diño was not valid.

As such, he could not be considered a legitimate substitute candidate, they added.

Baggage of Binay

Duterte told dzBB that Vice President Jejomar Binay is carrying heavy baggage in the May 9 elections.

“Binay can talk about drugs and criminality, but he cannot talk corruption,” Duterte said.

But only he and Binay qualify for the presidency as they both have the passion to confront  criminality and illegal drugs, he added.

Duterte said he is not friends with Binay, although he had met him on several occasions of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.

We do not share politics. If I am Binay’s man then I would have accepted his offer  to be his vice presidential running mate,” Duterte said.

During the interview, Duterte did not stop criticizing Liberal Party presidential bet Manuel Roxas II’s actions during Super Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City in 2013. – With Robertzon Ramirez