Duterte, in his birth anniversary message to his former wife, said he found love with Zimmerman.
“Given another chance, another life, I would still marry Elizabeth. Because that is love,” Duterte said in a message quoted by Davao City information officer Jefry Tupas in a public Instagram post.
Tupas, in consecutive Facebook posts, said the President also gave Zimmerman a bouquet of flowers for her 70th birth anniversary.
The former couple also had a dance. The President serenaded Zimmerman with his favorite song, “Ikaw,” and shared a kiss on the stage before family members and close friends who attended the intimate birth anniversary celebration.
Duterte has three children with Zimmerman – former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo, Davao City Mayor Sara, and Sebastian.
Though separated for years, Duterte has always kept a close and friendly relationship with Zimmerman. Duterte is now with common-law wife Honeylet Avanceña and their daughter Veronica.
Duterte and Zimmerman separated in July 1988 after she filed a petition to nullify their marriage. The court approved her petition, ending a 27-year relationship. The petition was granted following a psychological assessment on Duterte more than 15 years ago that says that the President has an “Antisocial Narcissistic Personality Disorder.”
Mayor Sara Duterte said that the final court decision was handed down at least 15 years ago and that there is no bad blood now between her parents. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)
