section_path: Personal life/Family
section_name: Family
paragraph_text: Family
  
  Duterte's father, Vicente, died in 1968 while his mother, Soledad, died on February 4, 2012, at the age of 95.
  
  In 1973, Duterte married Elizabeth Zimmerman, a flight attendant of German American descent who traces her roots in Tuburan, Cebu. They have three children (from eldest to youngest): Paolo ("Pulong"), Sara ("Inday Sara") and Sebastian ("Baste"). In the 1990s, his son Paolo left the family for more than five years after having a son (Omar Vincent) with Lovelie Sangkola in 1994, which Duterte acknowledged to be "ne of my sad events in my life". Sara and Paolo both entered politics in 2007 and 2008 respectively, while Baste, with no interest in politics, initially concentrated on business and surfing but eventually ran and won as vice mayor of Davao City in 2019. Sara was elected as Vice President in 2022.
  
  Duterte has been publicly open about his infidelity while married to Zimmerman and cited it as the reason for his failed marriage. According to newspaper columnist Ramon Tulfo, Duterte's various partners included "a then agriculture undersecretary, a governor of a province, a local TV newscaster and a policewoman". In 1998, Zimmerman filed a petition in the Regional Trial Court of Pasig to nullify her marriage. Duterte never appeared in court and did not contest Zimmerman's petition. Two years later, the court decided in her favor, ending the 27-year marriage of Duterte and Zimmerman. Duterte and Zimmerman have been on good terms in recent years, with Zimmerman stating: "Yes, is really a very good leader. That is all he is. But when it comes to family, he is not capable of taking care of it."
  
  Prior to his arrest, Duterte had been living with his common-law wife Cielito "Honeylet" Avanceña, a businesswoman and former nurse, with whom he has one daughter named Veronica ("Kitty"), an American by birth. Duterte has eleven grandchildren, half of whom are Muslims and the other half Christian, and two great-grandchildren. Since 2022, a child named Mira ("Mimi", born 2019) is seen being raised by Duterte and Avanceña alongside Veronica, though there are conflicting reports on whether she is a child or a grandchild of Duterte. Veronica attributes her rose tattoo to Mira.
  
  On his paternal side, Duterte shares familial ties with some of the prominent families of the Visayas, particularly the Almendrases and Duranos of Danao, Cebu. His distant uncle, former Senator Alejandro Almendras, was one of his original supporters when he first ran for mayor of Davao City in 1988.