ELIZABETH Zimmerman, former wife of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, and mayoral candidate Sara Duterte-Carpio have set out on 30-day bus ride all over Visayas and Mindanao dubbed “Byaheng DU30,” a caravan of 30 volunteers to campaign Duterte’s candidacy.
Zimmerman, who is battling Stage 3 cancer, has decided to stop her radiation sessions to lead the caravan.
Zimmerman said she wants to meet fellow Filipinos and answer their questions about her former husband.
She intends to visit the birthplace of her parents in Hilongos, Leyte and Tuburan, Cebu.
"I wanted to help him because he is still part of my family, he is the father of my children. We may be annulled in court but we were also married in the church and the Catholic church never annulled our marriage. I wanted to complete at least seventeen radiation sessions before stopping the treatment and go out to campaign," Zimmerman said at the sidelines of the caravan launch.
She still has 16 more radiation sessions to complete the 33 sessions mandated by her doctor after the one-month caravan.
She is joined not just by Sara but also Sara’s children Shark, Stingray, and Bella. The caravan intends to thank supporters, convince the undecided, and convert followers of other candidates. Long before the filing for certificates of candidacy for national positions, Zimmerman became fodder for rumors when black propaganda about her saying she was abused by her former husband made the rounds in memes on social media.