Davao Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte has resigned from his position Monday, Christmas Day.
In a statement, Duterte said he is resigning from his post effective December 25 out of delicadeza, citing “recent unfortunate events in my life that are closely tied to my failed first marriage.”
“These, among others, include the maligning of my reputation in the recent name dropping incident in the Bureau of Customs smuggling case and the very public squabble with my daughter. The other person in this failed relationship is incorrigible and cannot be controlled And I take responsibility for all that has happened as a result of a wrong decision to marry at a very young age,” he said.
“When I was growing up my parents never failed to remind us of the value of the time honored principle of delicadeza and this is one of those instances in my life that I need to protect my honor and that of my children…I hereby tender my resignation as Vice Mayor of Davao City effective today December 25, 2017.”
The vice-mayor’s sister, Davao Mayor Sara Duterte, confirmed the news of Paolo’s resignation in an interview with reporters.
“While awaiting the acceptance of the resignation, he is on leave from the Office of the Vice Mayor because only the Office of the President can accept the resignation,” she said.
“Sure na siya sa resignation,” she added.
She also said the President knew beforehand that the vice-mayor is resigning. “Best to ask the President about his reaction,” she said.
Asked for her comment on her brother’s decision, the Davao City mayor responded: “These are things that are beyond my control… I can only be here for my brother to support him in whatever his decisions may be.”
Duterte, eldest son of President Rodrigo Duterte, earlier said he will retire from politics in 2019.
The Davao Vice-Mayor has denied accusations made by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV that he is a member of a Chinese drug triad and that he is part of a so-called “Davao Group” involved in smuggling.
Recently, the Davao vice-mayor and his daughter, Isabelle, swapped curses and accusations in social media, with the older Duterte calling his daughter a “disgrace.”
“Even if that person pimped you twice, I won’t keep quiet! And if your mom and stepdad don’t care about you, I’m not like them! Not because I’m a Duterte but because I am a father!!! Change your last name if you want to! You don’t know how to respect! You are a disgrace,” he said, unclear on who the person was.
His post was a retort to Isabelle’s tweets Friday, publicly spewing anger at her father for allegedly laying a hand on someone. Circumstances remain unclear.
“Even if you hold a position in the city, you’re not allowed to beat someone up!!! Even if you’re in power, you can’t hurt a person!!! You hurt a human being!!! Not just a human being, but a child!!! Even if you’re well known, you can’t do things like that!!! Even if you’re a Duterte, it’s not acceptable,” her tweet read in Visayan.
In a followup blow, the teen said: “My dad f**** up my Christmas every year. What a time to be alive.”
On Facebook, Isabelle apologized to an unnamed friend who she said is currently in hospital. She was scant on details.
“My friend, who is now in the hospital, is a good friend of mine since we were 7th grade,” the post read.
“My friend’s family has shown respect to me and my mother over the years, I’m quite sure considering that my friend is also coming from a respectable family my friend is decent enough to keep an image far from what my friend is accused of,” she said.
Before the feud, Isabelle Duterte also drew headlines after she had pre-debut photos taken inside Malacañang Palace.
President Duterte later defended the photoshoot, calling it a small matter.
“Come on. She is my blood. That’s a small matter, she only used Malacañang. I was not even there. But even if I was there, my granddaughter just had her photos taken, every visitor does that,” he said.
VINTA ONSLAUGHT AND RESIGNATION
In his resignation letter, the Davao vice-mayor extended his sympathies to all the families who lost a loved one, those who lost their jobs and those who were affected by the floods because of typhoon Vinta.
“It is a difficult Christmas day for many Dabawenyos including myself but we are strong and resilient and we shall move forward.”
He also thanked “all Dabawenyos for supporting him.”
“I look forward to the day that I will be able to serve our country again,” he added.
