VICE President Sara Duterte debunked a circulating photo online that shows her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte (FPRRD), as very thin with his face sagging and bedridden in a hospital.
“So hindi po totoo na photo niya iyon. Hindi toto ang photo na iyon, malamang edited yung photo na iyon. Ibang pasyente iyon, inano lang nila yung mukha ni dating Pangulong Duterte (So that photo is not real. That’s not his actual photo. It’s most likely edited. That’s a different patient; they just superimposed former President Duterte’s face onto it),” she said in a media interview in The Hague, Netherlands, outside the Scheveningen Prison, on July 11, 2025.
She clarified that her father is not in the hospital wing but in the regular detention area and was even walking on his own with a cane. She said that the former president did not have any disease that would require him to be bedridden.
She also mentioned the possibility of requesting the International Criminal Court (ICC) to release a recent photo to dispel rumors about his health.
She confirmed, however, that the former president has lost significant weight since his detention. But she clarified that this does not mean that his face was sagging.
Earlier, the vice president said that FPRRD has expressed his final wishes, stating that wherever he dies, he should be cremated in that location. She said that her father also wished that his cremated remains be returned to the Philippines.
However, she said she deferred their discussions about cremation, as she personally does not support it.
She explained that her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, referred to FPRRD as “skin and bones” because of his significant weight loss. However, she clarified that this does not mean he is ill, as the medical officer has not raised any concerns.
She suggested that the weight loss could be due to his decreased appetite, likely because he is not used to the food being provided in the detention facility.
Another factor, she said, is that the medical officer is regulating his food intake due to his diabetes. She assured the public that FPRRD is receiving all the medications he needs, as there is a medical officer stationed inside the detention facility.
Zimmerman revealed that the former president has become weak and appears “skin and bones.” She said Duterte no longer resembles his previous photos. She also revealed that he has no appetite and often refuses to eat, citing the repetitive nature of the food.
Congressman Pulong also shared that his father appeared thinner during his last visit, but assured the public that he remains healthy and is still able to crack jokes from time to time. RGP
