Kitty speaks at PDP-Laban event, says dad Duterte watching from The Hague

The youngest daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday thanked the PDP-Laban senatorial slate, also called "Duter-ten," at the party's miting de avance Thursday evening.

“To all the Duter-ten: thank you for having principles that cannot be bribed with money, power, and influence. It will not be forgotten,” Veronica "Kitty" Duterte said before a crowd of supporters at Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila. 

“It has been my greatest honor to stand and fight for my country, my fellowmen, my family, and for my father who loved me into the woman I am today,” she added.

The former president was arrested in March and brought to The Hague, where he will face trial at the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity over his bloody drug war.

Kitty recalled the night before her father was flown out of the country—a moment she said she would never forget.

“Bago siya kinuha sa akin, the night before it happened, magkatabi pa kaming natulog [Before he was taken from me, the night before it happened, we slept side by side]. I asked him, ‘Dada, what's gonna happen to you?’” she said.

“And as a father who didn't want his baby girl to worry, he responded with his usual phrase: ‘Sus, wala yan, maniwala ka dyan [That's nothing, don't believe it].’”

Kitty ended her speech by addressing her father, who she said would be watching:

“To my Dada Rudy… pinalangga ka ni Kitty. Know that I remain unafraid, unbent, and unswayed—just like you. Your battle is my battle.”

The youngest Duterte also conveyed her father’s message to the public, urging Filipinos to “exercise your right to vote and do so wisely.”

On Tuesday, her mother, Honeylet Avanceña revealed that Duterte advised Kitty to "follow his footsteps."

Kitty said she never intended to wade into politics, but recent events surrounding her father’s arrest have changed her stance.

“Ako ay isang 21-year-old college student lamang at ayaw ko sanang makisali sa politika. Pero nang dahil sa pag-kidnap at pag-abuso nila sa tatay ko, nandito ako ngayon para ipaglaban hindi lamang ang pamilya ko kundi ang bansang Pilipinas,” she declared.

(I am just a 21-year-old college student and I did not wish to join the political fray. But after they kidnapped and abused my father, I am now here to fight not only for my family but also for my country, the Philippines.)

The Duterte camp—including Vice President Sara Duterte and former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea—have adhered to the insistence that the former president was "kidnapped," a claim that has been countered by the government, which said that his arrest followed the law and was done in cooperation with Interpol. — BM, GMA Integrated News