Duterte's youngest son gushes over Miriam, wants her to give Digong 'fight of a lifetime'

The son of presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday posted a photo with his dad’s rival Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago hours ahead of the last leg of the PiliPinas Debates 2016.

The photo posted on Sebastian “Baste” Duterte’s Facebook account has earned almost 100,000 likes, and has been shared over 11,500 times three hours after it was published.

In the photo, Baste was standing beside Santiago, her hand around the 28-year-old’s arm. Both of them were smiling in the photo. 

According to Baste, it was Santiago who approached him.

“Hello Senator MDS. I feel so lucky that i had the chance to have a picture with you. To my surprise, you even went over to me when my friend asked for a photo. I was so captivated by your presence that I did not know what to do. When you grabbed my arm during the picture, my heart just smiled. Memories flashed in my mind of you reprimanding someone in a senate hearing,” he wrote.

“You are sweet and inspiring. I never easily get starstruck but you had me at mere sight. I truly admire you because I believe that you are a real contributor to our country. We are hours away from the debate and I wish you all the best,” he said.

But before his closed his post with “Love Baste”, he gave the senator a little reminder:  “Bring the best out of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, give him the fight of a lifetime.”

Duterte and Santiago previously said that they are good friends. In the first PiliPinas Debates 2016 in Cagayan de Oro City, they exchanged praises instead of tirades. Their apparent closeness caught the attention of the netizens, who named the pair “DuRiam”.

Ex-wife chimes in

Duterte’s former wife Elizabeth Zimmerman also joined the conversation and shared the time when Santiago visited them in Davao City. She said Santiago asked Duterte to run for the Senate. 

“I remember the tym Senator Miriam visited us in our house in Bangkal she cld not believe that we [live in] such old house and she did invite ur father to run for the Senate,” she wrote. 

Zimmerman also said that former President and outgoing Manila Mayor Erap Estrada tried to convince Duterte to run for a higher post. 

“Erap also visited us but ur father refused them because there was still so much to do for Davao. But I think the tides have changed n I hope your papa will do change our Country no more corruption, poverty, there will be peace n order,” she said. 

The conversation ended with Zimmerman saying, “Thank u for helping ur father.” —Trisha Macas/JST, GMA News