President Duterte’s Last Days in Office: A Diary

Six years after he took his oath as 16th Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte stepped out of Malacañang before noon on Thursday, June 30, bidding goodbye to his Manila home and office for the past years, and the presidency.

The country’s first president from Mindanao is set to return to his hometown of Davao City on the same day, to attend a thanksgiving concert organized by supporters and allies.

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President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Malacañang on Thursday morning, June 30, hours before he becomes Citizen Digong.

Duterte will receive his successor, president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr., for a tête-à-tête or private conversation before the latter takes his oath as the next chief executive of the Philippines.

The ruling party PDP-Laban held a thanksgiving dinner for President Rodrigo Duterte on the eve of his last day in office. Among those present were Senator Bong Go, senator-elect Robin Padilla, and several members of his Cabinet.

PDP-Laban was Duterte’s vehicle when he ran for president in 2016, winning with a commanding 39% share of the votes.

Days before leaving office, President Duterte made apparent that his animosity towards media giant ABS-CBN has not subsided.

In a speech during the oath-taking of newly elected local officials in his hometown Davao City, Duterte admitted that he “targeted” the broadcast company, which, in 2020, was denied a fresh franchise by the Duterte-allied Congress.

“I used the presidential powers to tell Congress that you are dealing with scoundrels and if you continue to kowtow with them, the Filipino people will be miserable,” he said, as quoted by multiple media organizations.

ABS-CBN’s shutdown in May 2020 resulted in the retrenchment of thousands of workers at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hundreds of supporters cheered President Rodrigo Duterte as he showed up at a thanksgiving concert for him at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.

Among those who serenaded the outgoing President during the “Salamat, PRRD” concert were artists Ice Seguerra, Jed Madela, and Martin Nievera.

At one point, he also joined medical frontliners in singing “Fill the World with Love.”

President Rodrigo Duterte led the reopening of the Philippine National Railways’ Lucena-San Pablo Commuter Line. In his speech, he called on incoming transport officials “to continue leading the improvement of our railway systems.”

“It is my hope that you will never lose sight of this goal, as the enhancement of this vital transportation connection will be the key to unlocking even better opportunities for our countrymen,” he said.

President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. named former Philippine Airlines president Jaime Bautista as his transportation chief.

No Duterte speech is complete without the President resorting to his trademark rhetoric against the illegal drug trade, human rights, and the International Criminal Court (ICC). 

On drug addiction: “These human rights [advocates] refuse to believe that when the addiction is there in the system, in the body, it’s like a monkey riding on your back.”

On the ICC: “To the ICC, if you are listening, stop this drama that you will press charges. These criminals, especially addicts, would rape children then kill them.”

On the New People’s Army: “I asked drug addicts to leave Davao City, or if you want a peaceful Davao, drop the drugs. To the NPAs, drop the guns, and tomorrow, it will be heaven for all of us.”

On protecting men in uniform: “Even if I’m no longer a mayor or president, if [what you did] is done in the performance of duty, I will help you wherever. I’m a lawyer.”

*All quotes have been translated from local language to English.

President Rodrigo Duterte oversaw the awarding of 600 units of Madayaw Residences in Talomo District in Davao City.

There, he congratulated the National Housing Authority (NHA) and its partners for completing the project despite pandemic-driven challenges.

He also expressed hope that the Marcos Jr. administration would pursue low-cost housing projects for the poor. 

“As the agency transitions under a new leadership in a few days, I urge the NHA to intensify its mandate of addressing the housing needs of our countrymen, especially the homeless, marginalized, and low-income families. I am confident that your steadfast efforts in the succeeding administration will redound to a more active, participative and productive society,” he said. 

President Rodrigo Duterte was among his daughter Sara’s guests when the latter took oath as the next Philippine vice president in Davao City.

Observers noted how awkward the outgoing president was, especially when he was near his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Duterte once called Marcos a weak leader, and previously lamented his daughter’s decision to give way to Marcos for the presidency.

RELATED: Duterte cold with Marcos on Sara’s inauguration