He may be the country’s commander-in-chief but President Duterte is relegated to a mere “sergeant” when he comes home.
The President, revealing his sentiments during an assembly in Davao City last Tuesday, said he follows the orders of the daughters or the “generals” in his family.
The recent family getaway to Hong Kong, Duterte said, was actually made upon the order of his youngest daughter Veronica, also known as “Kitty.”
“I go to Hong Kong to celebrate the birthday of my wife because that was the order of my daughter. And the order of my daughter, just like the order of the mayor here, I follow,” he said during the ninth anniversary of the Mindanao Development Authority, drawing laughter from the crowd.
“If I’m in front of them, I’m just a sergeant. They are the generals. Really, it’s very hard to deal with a daughter,” he said.
The President made an unannounced visit to Hong Kong with his common-law wife Cielito “Honeylet” Avanceña and Veronica last weekend. The private family trip was meant for rest and recreation, according to Malacanang.
In his remarks Tuesday, the President admitted that he has difficulty controlling his two daughters Veronica and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio. He said his daughters were a “special kind” and that he could not fight them since it would lead to heated arguments.
“Really, it’s very hard to deal with a daughter. The boys well they can take a tongue-lashing or shout ‘shut up.’ But the girls, if they begin to quarrel with you,” he said.
“You cannot just say, ‘Shut up’ because the mayor would also say, ‘Ah you also shut up,’ So what would you want me to do? You mold it to a…No, daughters are a special kind. They really control,” he added.
Apart from his daughters, the President has two sons, former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and Sebastian Duterte. (Genalyn Kabiling)