Kitty Duterte gets tattoo of father Rodrigo's name on her wrist
Veronica "Kitty" Duterte got her father former president Rodrigo Duterte's name tattooed on her wrist amid the 2025 midterm elections.
On her Instagram stories, Kitty posted a picture of herself flaunting her new ink, which was the first name of her dad written in cursive.
In a separate story, she shared a text message from a close confidant who said that Rodrigo "got very emotional today" when he read Kitty's letter to him.
"He started tearing up and crying. I started crying too. He said that 'it's very special [that these words are] coming from her. It's different. There's something about daughters—they're so special. Sons are good but daughters are.... Daughters,'" the person told Kitty.
They continued, "He also rolled his eyes and made a grimace when I told him you got a new tattoo but then smiled when he [saw] it and when I continued with your letter, telling him that he couldn't scold you for being a Duterte and for getting his name. He said the 'R' in the tattoo is his—it's his handwriting."
Rodrigo is running for mayor in his hometown in Davao City despite currently being detained by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity.
Comelec Commissioner Ernest Maceda previously explained that he is still in the mayoralty race as he has not yet withdrawn his candidacy nor has he been disqualified.
He added that the controversial ex-leader must be convicted "with finality" by the ICC in order to disqualify him from running. If this is not the case, Maceda explained that someone convicted of a crime can still run as long as they have an appeal pending with the courts.
Should Rodrigo emerge victorious in the upcoming election, he still needs to take his oath of office before he can assume the post. This may prove tricky since he is detained in another country.
"As far as the law stands, the vice mayor would be acting or performing the responsibility (if the elected mayor cannot do it)," Maceda said.
Rodrigo was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on March 11 following a warrant of arrest issued by the ICC via the International Criminal Police Organization.
He has been accused of being an "indirect co-perpetrator for the crime against humanity of murder pursuant to Article 7 (1)(a) of the Rome Statute."
Specifically, he was allegedly involved in the murder of at least 19 persons reported to be drug pushers or thieves who were killed by members of the Davao Death Squad in various locations in or around Davao City between 2011 and 2016, as well as the murder of at least 24 alleged criminals who were killed by or under the supervision of members of the Philippines law enforcement at various locations in the country between 2016 and 2019 during his term as president.
The ICC is acting based on the principle of complementarity, which means that it's only stepping in if a state's courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute crimes within their jurisdiction.
Though Rodrigo withdrew the country's membership from the ICC in 2018, which took effect the following year, the ICC said it still has jurisdiction over crimes that happened while the Philippines was still a member-state.
Rodrigo arrived in The Hague in the Netherlands on March 12 to face the charges against him.
He could be the first Asian former head of state to be indicted by the ICC.
His pre-trial hearing is on Sept. 23, 2025. If the charges against him are confirmed, it could be months before the case eventually goes on trial, and years before a final judgment is rendered.
