Former president Rodrigo Duterte received a visit from Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles on Friday.
Cruz-Angeles on Sunday shared photos of their meeting in her official Facebook page.
“With the #OG! Binisita natin nitong nakaraang araw si dating Pangulong Rody Duterte sa Davao City. Maayos ang kalagayan ng ating dating Pangulo at ini-enjoy ang pagreretiro pero patuloy pa rin ang serbisyo publiko bilang isang pribadong mamamayan (The other day, we visited former President Rody Duterte in Davao City. Our former president is doing well and enjoying retirement but still continues to serve the public as a private citizen),” she said.
OG is a slang term that means “original gangster” or someone who is original or the first of a kind.
Cruz-Angeles also thanked Senator Christopher “Bong” Go for the photos.
“On my visit, I asked him (Duterte) what he has been doing lately. He said he’s enjoying retirement, but he reads to keep mentally alert, talks to people, and rides his motorbike,” she told reporters in a press statement.
Duterte also asked about the Press Secretary’s work, to which she replied is “going well.”
“He asked me how work was going, and I said it was going well and that the President (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) is fine and in good health. He smiled, nodded, and said that is good,” she added.
Cruz-Angeles said she previously interviewed Duterte for the “Salamat PRRD” book and had a “short personal discussion” about history a few months ago.
“He said he wanted to know more about the Philippine revolution and the Katipunan. Fortunately I had brought with me Nick Joaquin’s book, A Question of Heroes, and gave it to him,” she said.
She promised to bring Duterte more books the next time they meet.
“I then reminded him that I had given him one book before, and if he would like, I would bring him more next time I am in town. He smiled and said yes,” she added.
Friends and colleagues have described Duterte as a “bookworm”, usually reading about history, geopolitics, and foreign policy.
The 77-year-old Duterte was last seen in public in Metro Manila in Malacañang on June 30 when he officially turned over his seat to Marcos.
Duterte was reportedly considered to lead the Marcos administration’s war on illegal drugs while Go said he wanted the former president to be his chief legal counsel. (PNA)
