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Sebastian Duterte
Filipino politician (born 1987) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sebastian Zimmerman Duterte (/dəˈtɜːrteɪ/, [dʊˈtɛɾtɛ]; born November 3, 1987) is a Filipino businessman and politician who has served as the acting mayor of Davao City since 2025, a role he held in his own right as the 22nd mayor from 2022 to 2025.[1] He is concurrently the vice mayor of Davao, having served since 2025 and previously from 2019 to 2022.
The youngest son of the 16th president and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and his former wife Elizabeth Zimmerman, Duterte entered politics in 2019, having ran for vice mayor unopposed. After his sister Sara, then the mayor of Davao, ran for vice president, he substituted for her in that year's election, winning in a landslide. After his father sought a return to the city's mayoralty, he ran as his running mate and won. As his father remains detained at The Hague, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has designated him as acting mayor.[2][3]
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Early life and education
Duterte was born on November 3, 1987, in Davao City. He is the youngest son of 16th President Rodrigo Duterte and Elizabeth Zimmerman, a Filipina flight-attendant of Filipino and German American descent. His brother, Paolo, is the incumbent representative of Davao City's first district, and his sister Sara is incumbent vice president.[4][5]
Duterte obtained his high school diploma at San Beda College in Manila. He took up legal management at the same college for a year before moving back to Davao, where he took up political science at Ateneo de Davao University.[6]
He was initially offered by his father to run for Davao City councilor in 2013 and representative in 2016, but he declined.[citation needed]
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Vice Mayor of Davao City (2019–2022)
In 2019, Duterte ran unopposed for vice mayor of Davao City with his sister and incumbent mayor, Sara, as his running mate under the Hugpong ng Pagbabago ticket.[7][8] The siblings won the election.[9] He has been appointed "acting mayor" of the city twice: from July 19 to September 17, 2019; and from September 28 to October 5, 2020.[10][11]
Mayor of Davao City (2022–present)
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On November 9, 2021, Duterte decided to withdraw his re-election bid.[12] He named J. Melchor "Jay" Quitain Jr., Davao City's first district councilor and son of Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Jesus Melchor Quitain, as his substitute for vice mayor.[13] He then ran for mayor as a substitute to his sister Sara,[14] who would later run for vice president.[15] He later won in a landslide victory and assumed office on June 30, 2022.[16][17]
During his tenure as mayor of Davao City, Duterte oversaw efforts to advance digitalization, economic development, and community engagement. His administration introduced the electronic Business One Stop Shop (e-BOSS) to streamline business permits and attracted over ₱1 billion in investments in 2023. Tourism also increased, with 1.3 million arrivals. Key infrastructure projects, including the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project and a new Waste-to-Energy Plant, were initiated.[18]
Duterte was also involved in the Marcos–Duterte rift during the 2024 constitutional reform attempts in the Philippines. On January 28, 2024, he attended the Hakbang ng Maisug prayer rally held in Davao City with his father Rodrigo and sister Sara, which opposed the Marcos administration's Bagong Pilipinas rally in Manila and supported constitutional reforms.[19] During a political forum on the same day, he asked President Bongbong Marcos to resign, accusing him of laziness and incompetence.[20] Although Senator Imee Marcos stated that Duterte later apologized, he clarified that his apology was directed only at the senator "out of pity" and demanded she stop "using him" for political statements.[21][22][23]
On September 5, 2024, Duterte joined Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), the party chaired by his father Rodrigo Duterte, as its new member and executive vice chairperson.[24][25] It was later announced that he would run for vice mayor once again in 2025, this time as the running mate of his father, who would run for mayor.[26] Following the arrest of his father in March 2025, Duterte condemned the action as a political maneuver by the Marcos administration and even filed a petition with the Supreme Court alongside his siblings to seek the immediate release of their father, arguing the detention violated national sovereignty and due process.[27][28][29][30]
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Vice Mayor of Davao City and acting mayor (2025–present)
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Duterte was elected vice mayor in 2025. However, from the start of his term on June 30, 2025, he would serve as acting mayor while his father, Rodrigo Duterte, has yet to take his oath of office as the duly elected city mayor due to his detention at The Hague, Netherlands.[31] In turn, his nephew, 1st district councilor Rodrigo "Rigo" Duterte II, would serve as the acting vice mayor.[32]
On July 20, 2025, Duterte on his Basta Dabawenyo podcast challenged Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Nicolas Torre III, who played a significant role in the arrest of his father Rodrigo, for a fistfight to raise funds for those affected by the southwest monsoon rains.[33] He had also set conditions that Torre must persuade President Bongbong Marcos to mandate hair follicle drug tests for all elected officials. Torre accepted the challenge, confirming that a charity boxing match would take place on July 27 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.[34] However, Duterte departed for Singapore on July 25 for a personal trip until July 29, stating it was long planned before the match and his travel clearance was approved by DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla on July 20.[35][36] On July 27, Torre was declared the winner by default in the match after Duterte failed to show up.[37]
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Personal life
Duterte is a surfer and often posts images of himself surfing.[38] He launched his own reality travel show Lakbai on TV5 in 2017. He is also the host of the podcast called Basta Dabawenyo since its launch in 2024.[33][39]
Duterte, although unmarried,[1] has three children, two of which are with his long-time live-in partner.[40]
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Exhibition boxing record
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Notes
- Rodrigo Duterte's powers and duties have been suspended effective June 30, 2025, due to his inability to take the oath of office while currently detained at The Hague. In his absence, Sebastian Duterte has assumed the role of Acting Mayor of Davao City.
- Robin Padilla is presently on leave since June 16, 2025, with Sebastian Duterte serving on acting capacity.
References
External links
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