Did Isabelle Duterte violate law during her Palace photoshoot?

MANILA, Philippines — The glamorous pre-debut photoshoot of presidential granddaughter Isabelle Duterte has sparked heated debates online in recent days.

In the photos, the young Duterte, daughter of Davao City Mayor Paolo Duterte, was seen wearing different designer gowns at the country’s seat of power.

Netizens pointed out that choosing the Malacañang as the venue for the photoshoot might be illegal.

Others, meanwhile, stressed that the photos of Isabelle posing in front of the national coat of arms and the presidential seal and flag violated Executive Order No. 310, which states that these symbols are exclusively meant for the use of the president and vice president of the Philippines.

Isabelle’s grandfather, President Rodrigo Duterte, called the photoshoot a “small matter.”

READ: Duterte defends granddaughter Isabelle's pre-debut photoshoot

“Ano ba naman 'yan? Kadugo ko 'yan eh (What’s the fuss? She is part of my family). Small matter, gamitin lang 'yung Malacañang. Wala naman ako doon (They just used Malacañang. I was not there),” the president said, adding that all visitors who visit the presidential palace can take photos there.

But the issue is not the venue, nor the use of the presidential seal and flag. The real issue is how Isabelle—the granddaughter of a self-proclaimed populist—flaunts her extravagant lifestyle.

On ANC’s The Explainer, political columnist Manolo Quezon III noted that the controversy is about two things that have nothing to do with the EO signed by former President Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo—question of taste and the 1987 Constitution’s emphasis on modest lifestyle.

READ: Isabelle Duterte tells critics to focus on issues, Twitter users take on challenge

Cost of Isabelle’s pre-debut shoot

Internationally-acclaimed writer Miguel Syjuco estimated the cost of the photoshoot, which he posted on Facebook.

According to his tally, the cost for the gowns, photography and styling ranges from “P800,000 to roughly P1.1 million” sans the debut itself.

He also noted that the production cost of Isabelle’s pre-debut shoot is “worth possibly more than a year of daddy’s wages.”

As a vice mayor with a salary grade 28, Paolo earns more than P800,000 per year or over P2.4 million from 2013 to 2016.

Photographer Lito Sy said he executed the presidential granddaughter’s photoshoot for free as a favor to Isabelle’s mother and Paolo’s ex-wife, Lovelie Sangkola Sumera.

He said that the opulent red gown was “sponsored” because the designer is a “good friend” of Sumera and that the other gowns were borrowed by stylist Jeff Galang in exchange for “credits and mileage.”

Sy, moreover, emphasized that it was Sumera, not Paolo, who shouldered the expenses.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque claimed that no taxpayer money was used during the photoshoot.

The dresses and the services used for the shoot might have been given for free, but these do not cover the fact that the young Duterte is fond of luxurious items.

Isabelle’s lavish lifestyle vs. Rody’s populist image

On her social media accounts, Isabelle posts photos of her sporting designer bags, clothing and shoes.

Syjuco computed the cost of Isabelle’s luxurious items, which according to him, amounts to $11,270 or P568,147—more than twice the total median income of an average Filipino for one year, which is P264,000.

He, moreover, pointed out that Isabelle’s father, Paolo, wore a P1.9-million gold Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph when he attended the probe into his alleged participation in the P6.4-billion shabu smuggling.

The Duterte family’s lifestyle contradicts the president’s projected image of a man with a simple lifestyle.

This extravagance, moreover, violates the Constitution. According to Article 11, Section 1, public officers and employees must, at all times, “lead modest lives.”

The Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees likewise states that “public officials and employees and their families shall lead modest lives appropriate to their positions and income.”

It added: “They shall not indulge in extravagant or ostentatious display of wealth in any form.”

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, one of Duterte’s fiercest critics, accused Duterte of concealing more than P2 billion in undeclared bank accounts when he served as mayor of Davao City.

The chief executive, who is known for flip-flopping statements, sometimes claims he is not a millionaire, but other times says he inherited fortune from his parents even though they lived modest lives.

His last public assets declaration put his worth at more than P27 million as of December last year.

Trillanes has repeatedly called on Duterte to sign waivers but the latter refused and went on to call the senator a “liar.”

In his post, Syjuco could not help but wonder where do the Dutertes, who have been on government salaries for more than two decades, get their money?

“Why won’t they be transparent about their finances? As citizens, we have every right to demand answers to these questions from our government officials and their families,” he said. 

READ: Duterte says he inherited millions disputing unexplained wealth allegation