Elizabeth Zimmerman

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Elizabeth Zimmerman
Elizabeth Zimmerman 2018.jpg
Zimmerman in 2018
Born
Elizabeth Abellana Zimmerman [1]

(1948-04-14) April 14, 1948 (age 76)
Davao City, Davao, Philippines
Education Ateneo de Davao University
Political party Independent (2001)
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1973;ann. 2000)​
Children3 (Paolo, Sara, and Sebastian)

Elizabeth Abellana Zimmerman-Duterte [2] (born April 14, 1948) is the former wife of Rodrigo Duterte, the 16th President of the Philippines, and the mother of incumbent Vice President Sara Duterte.

Contents

Early life

Elizabeth Abellana Zimmerman was born on April 14, 1948 in Davao City within the Province of Davao; [3] her birth certificate erroneously cites August 14 as her birthdate due to a mistake in her late registration of birth. [4] Her parents are Godofredo Baldazo Zimmerman from Hilongos, Leyte and Purisima Fortunado Abellana from Tuburan, Cebu. [5] She attended the Ateneo de Davao and subsequently worked as a flight stewardess for Philippine Airlines. [6]

Jewish ethnicity

Rodrigo Duterte and the Zimmerman family's oral history claim that she is of patrilineal Jewish descent, [7] [8] with her father having fled to the Philippines from Nazi Germany. [9] However, the family's DNA result showed a non-Jewish ethnicity. [10]

Politics

Zimmerman ran for city councilor of Davao City in 2001 but lost. [2] She joined the Biyaheng DU30 bus caravan which went around the Visayas and Mindanao, in support of her former husband's presidential bid in 2016. [2] [11]

Personal life

Zimmerman was married to Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte (who later became the President of the Philippines) for over 25 years. She has three children with him, named Paolo ("Pulong"), Sara and Sebastian ("Baste"). She filed for a civil annulment in 1998, and for a few months, lived with her brother in Metro Manila, occasionally visiting Davao City since her children were still studying there. Duterte has admitted that Zimmerman had left him after she caught him in adultery. The civil annulment was granted in 2000. [6] After the annulment, Zimmerman remained friends with her former husband, [12] while Sara stayed with her. [13] She chose to continue using "Duterte" as part of her surname despite the annulment, saying that her marriage with Duterte has never been declared null by the Catholic Church. [2] She has eleven grandchildren: five from her son Paolo, three from her daughter Sara, and three from youngest son, Baste. She also has two great-grandchildren.

In August 2015, Zimmerman was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, [12] but was declared fully recovered in October 2016. Her recovery then led to her becoming a breast cancer advocate. [14]

After the arrest of Rodrigo Duterte on March 11, 2025, vice president Sara claimed that her mother Elizabeth told her to prepare for the possibility that she will be arrested next. [15]

References

  1. ↑ "Lawyer on Duterte: 'It ain't over until it's over'". ABS-CBN News. October 14, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Calleja, Niña (April 17, 2016). "Campaign road trip reunites Duterte, ex-wife". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  3. ↑ Gitgano, Flornisa (April 15, 2016). "Duterte drops by Cebu to see ex-wife on her 68th birthday". Sun Star Cebu. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  4. ↑ Saron, Rhoda Grace (August 18, 2024). "VP Sara clarifies family gathering". Mindanao Times . Mindanao Times Corporation. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Duterte's ex-wife leads 'Biyaheng DU30'". Sunstar. April 6, 2016. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  6. 1 2 "'Philandering' Rodrigo Duterte cause of marriage annulment". Rappler. July 28, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  7. ↑ Ranada, Pia (October 4, 2016). "Jewish community applauds Duterte after apology". Rappler . Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  8. ↑ Mendez, Christina (October 5, 2016). "Duterte: No offense meant, my ex-wife is a Jew". Philstar.com. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  9. ↑ Sharon, Jeremy (September 3, 2018). "Controversial Leader of the Philippines and His Jewish-ish Family". Jerusalem Post .
  10. ↑ Todd Sales Lucero (June 28, 2023). "VP Sara and the myth of the Jewish ancestor". The Freeman.
  11. ↑ {{cite y 31, 2016|work=Inquirer Mindanao|publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=April 5, 2016}}
  12. 1 2 Caduaya, Editha (November 29, 2015). "Duterte and ex-wife: The ties that bind". Rappler. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  13. ↑ Rappler (April 4, 2012). The Mayors Duterte. YouTube . Google LLC. Event occurs at 4:20. Archived from the original on August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 12, 2024. We're not very close. We're not very close because I come from a broken family, eh. So the time that the marriage broke up, I went with my mother.
  14. ↑ Abinales, Patricio N. (July 13, 2016). "The grace of Elizabeth Zimmerman and Sara Duterte". Rappler. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  15. ↑ IS (March 11, 2025). "VP Sara binalaan na ng ina: 'Ikaw na susunod'" [VP Sara warned by mother: 'You're next']. Abante (in Filipino). Prage Management Inc. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
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