COVID keeps Duterte away from loved ones

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Duterte has not flown back to his home here for more than a month now, not even last Tuesday, the birthday of his youngest daughter Veronica.

He is practically alone at Bahay Pagbabago in Malacañang where he has been holed up since the last week of February when he ordered a community quarantine for Metro Manila as a measure to minimize the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Duterte would have wanted to go home last Tuesday to wish Veronica – his daughter with long-time partner Honeylet Avancena – but reconsidered the plan, since there no flights have been allowed between Davao City and Manila for a month now. 

He also has not seen his children – Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, First District Rep. Paolo Duterte and vice mayor Sebastian Duterte – with his first wife Elizabeth Zimmerman.

The President used to go home every weekend since he assumed the office of the Chief Executive on June 30, 2016.

Earlier, he talked of the times when he wakes up in the middle of the night at Bahay Pagbabago and finds it hard to go back to sleep, his mind becoming preoccupied with how to lead the country in fighting COVID-19 that has also wrought havoc in many countries, including the US, United Kingdom, France, Spain and Italy.

Duterte has rallied Filipinos to pray fervently as the Philippines tackles COVID-19 both on the medical front as well as the economic front.