Veronica “Kitty” Duterte, the youngest daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, delivered an emotional message during PDP-Laban’s miting de avance on Thursday night at Liwasang Bonifacio. Thanking the senatorial slate known as the “Duter-ten,” she praised their integrity in standing firm against bribery and influence.
“It is my honor to stand for my country, my family, and the father who shaped who I am,” she told supporters. Kitty also recalled her final night with her father before he was taken into custody and flown to The Hague to face charges at the International Criminal Court related to his controversial drug war.
“He told me, ‘That’s nothing, don’t believe it,’ trying to comfort me,” she shared, describing their final night sleeping side by side before his arrest.
Speaking directly to her father, she said, “Dada Rudy… I love you. I remain unafraid, unbent, and unswayed—just like you. Your battle is my battle.”
Kitty conveyed Duterte’s message urging Filipinos to vote wisely. She also shared that although she had no initial plans to enter politics, her father’s arrest changed her perspective.
“I’m just a 21-year-old college student who didn’t want to get involved in politics. But because of how they took and mistreated my father, I’m now here to fight—for my family and for the Philippines,” she declared.
The Duterte family, including Vice President Sara Duterte and former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea, continue to describe the former president’s arrest as a “kidnapping”—a claim dismissed by the government, which maintains that due legal processes were followed in cooperation with Interpol.