‘Duterte off his meds, down to skin and bones’

MANILA, Philippines — More than 100 days in detention in The Hague, former president Rodrigo Duterte has become “so thin, skin and bones, unlike in the picture,” his former wife Elizabeth Zimmerman said on video posted on Facebook.

“I asked him about the food, and he said it was still the same. At least he said, he is no longer taking any meds. At least that’s OK. He is healthy but he is an old man. He walks slowly,” Zimmerman said in a video recording of an interview posted on Alvin and Tourism Facebook.

She said Duterte spends much of his time watching television and sleeping.

Zimmerman took her turn watching over the former president from Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, who had to return to the Philippines.

“He just wants to sleep, watch TV. After he watches TV, he then sleeps. That’s it,” Zimmerman said.

In her latest encounter with her former husband, he inquired about the situation in Davao City.

“He is asking, ‘how is Davao? Is Baste (Sebastian Duterte) OK, because he is the acting mayor (of Davao City)?’ I told him, he is OK. There is no problem but your grandson is also the vice mayor. I said, and the other one is the congressman, second district,” Zimmerman said, referring to their grandsons, Davao City acting Vice Mayor Rodrigo “Rigo” Duterte II and Davao City second district Rep. Omar Vincent Duterte.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) appointed Sebastian as acting mayor after the former president failed to take his oath as mayor.

“He also asked me, ‘did the Hugpong win?’ I told him, yes, most of them are from Hugpong,” Zimmerman said, referring to the Hugpong ng Pagbabago political party of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The former president, she said, asked her to relay his message of gratitude to his supporters and advised her to go home because “the fare is expensive.”

“I told him I will be here for as long as we are needed here,” she added.

In her remarks on video, Zimmerman also thanked his supporters and declared “I believe in him also.” She recalled telling a court that he was a good leader. “That’s what I told the judge. He is a good leader but there is something wrong, he has a flaw,” she said without giving details.

“For 25 years we got married, I think that’s what happened to us. I need rest also,” Zimmerman said, referring to the annulment of their marriage. “I was sickly and already had my operation.”

Duterte’s legal team is seeking his interim release from detention and transfer to a third country that is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The tribunal’s Office of the Prosecutor is contesting the request, citing the risk of endangering ongoing investigations and even the court’s proceedings.

Duterte is awaiting trial for crimes against humanity for the deaths of thousands in his drug war. He was arrested on March 11 at the Ninoy Aquino International and flown hours later to The Hague. — Elizabeth Marcelo