I have Moro blood, Duterte insists

Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Fri, 06 Dec 2019 07:57:07 +0000

President Duterte has rejected rumors that he has no Moro blood, insisting that his Maranao roots actually come from his maternal ancestors.

After unauthorized biography hinted that he could not have any link to the Maranao tribe, the President explained that that his grandmother was a Maranao and so was his mother Soledad.

“Ito kasing article about na hindi ako Muslim. It’s my mother. It’s not – my father has nothing to do with being a Maranao. Bisaya ‘yan eh. Ang nanay ko ang tatay niya, lolo ko, Intsik. Ang lola ko ang Maranao. Ang nanay ko ang mestiza, Maranao,” he said during his visit to Legazpi City, Albay Thursday.

Duterte was puzzled with insinuations that he was pretending to have Moro blood. He said his critics were wrong to believe rumors about his family history.

“Eh may article akong nakita that…Why should I pretend my – what about my lineage?” he said.

“Nagkamali sila eh. That’s what you get if you begin to dig in to the history o tapos you rely on tsismis. It’s my mother who is the – I never said it was my father. The Duterte is a familiar family name in Cebu,” he said.