VIGAN CITY — Elizabeth Zimmerman, the former wife of presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte, is celebrating her 68th birthday today, April 14, while onboard the Byaheng DU30 bus, campaigning for PDP-Laban presidential bet Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte’s daughter, Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio said the celebration of Zimmerman’s birthday will be marked with a simple lunch.
Zimmerman arrived in Cebu Wednesday morning onboard the Byaheng DU30 bus, which has been on the road since April 5. The Byaheng DU30 is a parallel campaign for the presidential bid of Duterte, a 30-day trip initiated by Zimmerman and her daughter, Inday Sara.
Both Zimmerman and Duterte maintained a cordial relationship despite their annulment of their marriage back in 1998. The former couple were married for almost 25 years and had three children—Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, lawyer Inday Sara, and entrepreneur and musican Sebastian.
“We remained good friends despite the annulment of our marriage. Some people are negative about it, I know. But he is still the father of my children — that is why we remained friends,” said Zimmerman.
Zimmerman, a Stage 3 cancer patient has suspended a series of radiation treatments for the campaign. “We are doing this for our country’s future. We desperately need real change now.” She believes that Duterte will be an effective president.
Meanwhile, the Byaheng DU30 bus has arrived in Cebu exactly nine days after the caravan started its tour of Mindanao and the Visayas. The bus was welcomed by supporters of Duterte in Bogo port in Northern Cebu.
Inday Sara, her mother, and the other members of the Byaheng DU30 team emerged from the bus still cheerful despite the grueling journey and campaigning. Earlier, the Byaheng DU30 team was received warmly by Duterte supporters in Catbalogan City.
Among them was Mark Rafinson Villar Resuera who had his head carved with the word DU30. “I initially wanted to have Duterte’s face crafted on my head, but there’s nobody who can do it,” he said, adding that the members of his family are all “die-hard Duterte supporters.”
In fact, the Resueras family-owned business, with 34 offices in the Visayas and Luzon, are now serving as distribution points for Duterte campaign materials. The caravan targets communities not personally reached by Duterte.
It stopped even in outskirts of Northern Mindanao, Leyte, and Samar. In Cebu City on Wednesday, the Byaheng DU30 team went to Liloan to meet their supporters. (davaotoday.com)
