VERONICA “Kitty” Duterte, daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, clarified that she is a Filipino citizen following the circulation of photos and videos showing her holding a United States passport.
“I don’t mind them (critics), actually. I’m a Filipino citizen. I don’t think I have to explain since I’m a private citizen,” Kitty said.
Kitty was recently seen holding the passport while accompanying her sister Vice President Sara Duterte in a show of support for her father outside the Scheveningen penitentiary in The Hague, where the former president is being detained over alleged crimes against humanity linked to his bloody drug war.
In March 2017, Duterte himself disclosed during a speech in Myanmar that Kitty was born in the United States and holds American citizenship.
“My daughter with my second wife—she’s American because she was born there,” he said.
