DAVAO CITY – Reelected Davao City’s 1st District Representative Paolo ‘Pulong’ Duterte was a no-show at the oath-taking and inauguration of elected representatives and councilors at the Sanggunian Panlungsod on Monday.
Paolo, eldest son of President Duterte with former wife Elizabeth Zimmerman, was the only re-elected representative from this city’s three districts who was not around during the oath-taking attended by the first family.
Judge Emmanuel Claudio Carpio of the Regional Trial Court in Davao City administered the oath taking of Davao’s 2nd District representative Vincent Garcia and 3rd District representative Isidro Ungab.
The public also took notice of Paolo’s non-attendance during the oath-taking and inauguration of his sister, Vice President Sara, at San Pedro Street last June 19.
In his opening speech delivered after the oath-taking, President Duterte said he was looking for his son, Paolo, as his name was not included in the list of officials that he would be greeting in his prepared speech.
“Ang wa dire sa greeting, ambot og hain, si Congressman-elect Paolo Duterte, og makit-an ninyo sya karon ingna sya nangita ang iyang papa kaniya (The only one who’s not here, I don’t know where he is now, is Congressman-elect Paolo Duterte. If you happen to see him, please tell him that his father is looking for him),” he said.
It remains unclear as to when will Paolo be taking his oath as re-elected representative.
In an interview with reporters, Vice President Sara said that her older brother went on a trip and had just arrived in Davao City.
“Sa pagkaintindi ko kakarating lang nya sa Davao City (As far as I know he has just arrived in Davao City),” she said.
But the Vice President said she has no idea where his brother has travelled from.
Mayor Sebastian Duterte and runningmate Vice Mayor-elect Jay Melchor Quitain Jr. took their oath before Court of Appeals associate Justice Loida Posadas-Kahulugan and Judge Carpio, respectively.