Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte on his father: ‘I love him’
President Duterte is known to say the unsayable. He is also known to do the undoable. But out of the many things the strongman has said and done in the past, perhaps what are met with the most incredulity are more personal than political in nature.
While still campaigning, Digong said he has no qualms in killing any of his children (He has four. Three with his first wife, Elizabeth Zimmerman: Paolo, Sara, and Sebastian. And one daughter, Veronica, with his current partner Honeylet Avaceña) if ever they got involved in drugs. He has also called his eldest daughter, current Davao Mayor Sara Duterte, a “drama queen.” As President, he used a speech to scold his youngest son Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, calling him a lover boy and a jerk for going off the radar.
Digong is not just iron-fisted as President, but also as a parent. You see, not much is known about the head of state being the head of the household. But in those moments, the father of the country became just a father — and tough talk comes
with the tough love, but it’s love nonetheless.
Ironically, Baste is the most like his father, albeit a more mestizo version. (In fact, the President also did not get along with his old man, who died when Digong was still a law student.) Like magnetic poles, they repel each other. But on certain topics like family and country, if you close your eyes and just listen to the two Dutertes speak, they could be the same person. Also, they both love music, they’re both macho, but are also expressive when they want to be. They’re both fathers.
Baste grew up in the ’90s. If he wasn’t watching cartoons, he was learning to farm, or was playing with street kids. He learned how to pick trash and recycle, which eventually led him to establish a junk shop. This is one of Baste’s sources of income. He is also a talent under the Vidanes Celebrity Marketing. Once in a while, he does endorsements for brands he knows and trusts. “My dad is aware, but he doesn’t bother much as long as I do things right,” he says of his chosen career path.
Baste’s parents separated when he was just 11 years old, and he initially lived with his mom before she left to work in the US. He then stayed with his dad, but they always fought. After only three months of living with Digong, Baste went on his own.
He says this matter-of-factly, knowing both his parents love him. “My dad is strict but very loving. I used to get punished (I got belted) when I committed mistakes, but would also get rewarded if I did my responsibilities well,” he tells me.
He remembers tenderness — more than the one on his backside — as he shares his fondest memory of his father. “He would hug and kiss me every time, before he left the house for work.” Can you imagine Digong kissing his son on the lips, up until he was a rugged teenager?
Baste became a dad at only 22. Digong advised him “to be not as tough as he was on me. I’m not as strict as he was. I prefer to communicate more rather than punish them physically.” As for being Tatay Digong to the whole Philippines, Baste only knows too well that “he is a disciplinarian. He could be hard to deal with because he gives the utmost importance to discipline.”
We ask Baste what his message is to his dad for Father’s Day. He simply says, “I love him.” No long speech to get his point across, but the impact, may it be public or private, is the same. Sometimes those three words are the unsayable. But they have to be said.