Duterte defends Isabelle’s Palace photo shoot

President Rodrigo Duterte has defended his granddaughter Isabelle Duterte amid criticisms over her pre-deubt photo shoot inside Malacañang.

At the birthday celebration of Senator Manny Pacquiao in General Santos City over the weekend, Duterte said that all visitors in Malacañang take photos of themselves at the Palace anyway.

"'Yung isang anak ko, and lumabas nga doon sa Daily Star na nagpa-picture. Ano ba naman 'yan? Kadugo ko 'yan eh. Small matter, gamitin lang 'yung Malacañang. Wala naman ako doon," Duterte said on Sunday night.

"But even if I was there, itong granddaughter ko magpa-picture, lahat nga ng mga bisita pumupunta diyan, nagpapa-picture eh. You know, that girl, she's going to be 18 years old," he added.

Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte's daughter, Isabelle, was criticized for using Malacañang as a venue for her pre-debut photoshoot.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque defended the shoot saying the Duterte family could have chosen not to stay in Malacañang anyway.

Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson also came to Isabelle's rescue, saying the teenager was being attacked as if she killed a person.

Isabelle is Paolo's daughter with his ex-wife Lovelie Sangkola Sumera. Her birthday is on January 26. —NB, GMA News