By Genalyn Kabiling President Duterte has rejected rumors that he had no Moro blood, insisting that his Maranao roots actually come from his maternal ancestors. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
(ALFRED FRIAS/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) After an unauthorized biography hinted that he could not have any link to the Maranao tribe, the President explained that that his grandmother was a Maranao and so was his mother Soledad. "Ito kasing article about na hindi ako Muslim. It's my mother. It's not --- my father has nothing to do with being a Maranao. Bisaya 'yan eh. Ang nanay ko ang tatay niya, lolo ko, Intsik. Ang lola ko ang Maranao. Ang nanay ko ang mestiza, Maranao (An article that I was not supposedly a Muslim came out. It's my mother. My father has nothing to do with being a Maranao. He's Bisaya. My mother's father is Chinese while my grandmother is Maranao. My mother is mestiza Maranao)," he said during his visit to Legazpi City, Albay Thursday. Duterte was puzzled with insinuations that he was pretending to have Moro blood. He said his critics were wrong to believe rumors about his family history. "Eh may article akong nakita that... Why should I pretend my --- what about my lineage? (I saw an article. Why should I pretend my -- what about my lineage?)," he said. "Nagkamali sila eh (They were wrong). That's what you get if you begin to dig in to the history o tapos you rely on tsismis (and you rely on rumors). It's my mother who is the --- I never said it was my father. The Duterte is a familiar family name in Cebu,” he said. The book, entitled “Beyond Will & Power: A biography of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte" authored by Earl Parreño, has reportedly suggested that Duterte could not possibly have Maranao bloodline. The book features the President's ancestry and rise to the presidency. The President has often take pride of his Maranao lineage in his public speeches since he assumed office in 2016. Duterte, former mayor of Davao City, has even been touted as the country's first president from the south.