Classmates remember ‘hoy, Dut’

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – They never thought the classmate they called “hoy, Dut” would one day become president of the Philippines. 

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, one of President Duterte’s classmates in an all-boys high school, said their classmates did not call Duterte by his nicknames “Digong” or “Rody” as he is now known.

“There was nothing special about him that would indicate that he would become president. We never really expected him to be president. Mayor, maybe. And he became mayor of Davao City for a long time. But president? No one in our class ever thought he would be one. We called him ‘hoy, Dut’,” Dominguez said during the homecoming of their batch last Saturday at the Marco Polo Hotel in Davao City.

Duterte and Dominguez belong to the Ateneo de Davao High School Class of 1961.

But Duterte finished his high school education at the Cor Jesu College in Digos City. His parents transferred him there because they had enough of his mischief.

Dominguez said Duterte made it a point to attend their annual reunion every January. But Duterte was not able to attend the class homecoming last year as he was already busy in his campaign for the May 9 presidential elections.

During Saturday’s reunion at the Lotus Court of Marco Polo Hotel, Duterte arrived at around 9:20 p.m. and stayed for two and a half hours. 

Duterte recounted the fight he had with his classmate Gari Tiongco, now a lawyer and construction company executive.