Malacañang: No flip-flop on Duterte’s ‘poor’ beginnings

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Sunday, February 19, clarified that President Rodrigo Duterte did not, once again, flip-flop regarding his wealth.

Duterte, in a video message released on Thursday, February 16 in response to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s allegations about large sums in his supposed bank accounts, said that his family is not poor and his father, former Davao governor Vicente Duterte, left an inheritance. (READ: Duterte: I’ll resign if Trillanes can prove claims) 

This statement was very different from his previous public speeches, especially during the 2016 presidential campaign, where he described his family as starting out “poor” in Davao City.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, over state-run radio dzRB on Sunday, said that Duterte merely explained how “the family progress as a family.” 

“It’s not a question of flip-flopping,” he said. “They really had nothing – not naman nothing but meron naman silang sweldo and all that but they were government employees ‘no, so there was nothing there. Except that during ano – noong nakapag-impok na ‘yung magulang niya, when… the father died meron siyang iniwang inheritance.” 

(They really had nothing – not nothing but there was salary and all but they were government employees so there was nothing there. Their parents were able to save so when he died, his father left an inheritance.)

The young Duterte, Abella added, did not grow up with any luxuries as his family resettled from Leyte to Davao. (READ: 22 things to know about ‘Duterte Harry’)

“Pagdating nila sa Mindanao and especially noong kabataan pa ni Rodrigo Duterte, as a young man, they did not have any luxuries, wala silang lavish lifestyle, hindi sila mayaman (When they arrived in Mindanao and especially during the youth of Duterte, as a young man, they did not have any luxuries, no lavish lifestyle. They were not rich),” he said. – Rappler.com