DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 27 March) – Omar Duterte, the eldest son of Davao City First District Rep. Paolo Duterte with ex-wife Lovelie Sumera, has apologized for breaking the sanitary protocols when he and his security detail entered S&R in Davao City.
Omar, who made a statement shortly after his father apologized on social media for his “behavior” and vowed that he would deal with his son’s “impertinence,” explained that an employee at the supermarket “insisted” that they enter the establishment after seeing them wear gloves and follow proper hand sanitation.
“I know this is not a laughing matter and for this, I cannot begin to express the great feeling of remorse of not following the protocols thinking that the gloves were enough. For this, I’m sorry,” he said.
The president’s grandson disagreed with the idea of having to wash their hands in front of other people when they had already worn the gloves and washed them to make sure they’re clean.
He said the shoppers, who waited outside for their turn to enter, “took the protocols to the letter that even latex gloves aren’t enough to prevent the virus from infecting our hands within those gloves.”
“To those people who felt I should have followed protocol whilst being fully gloved, I’m sorry. If I had known that it shouldn’t be seen as comedic to wash your hands moments after putting on gloves, I would have gladly just washed my hands and followed the protocol,” he added.
Omar, 26, said he went to the supermarket to buy food and liquor to celebrate his first wedding anniversary with his wife at home amid the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
“But I now know that this was wrong. Trust me in saying that if I had known before, that cooking your dinner at home with your family and staying at home to celebrate your anniversary with your family was seen as a luxury, I would have chosen to sleep instead,” he said.
His father had apologized for his son’s behavior and called the incident “unfortunate, given the health emergency that we are facing these days.”
“It is with humility that I apologize for the behavior of Omar and his impertinence shall be dealt with accordingly,” the lawmaker said.
He said the alleged misconduct of the security team accompanying Omar is being investigated by the Presidential Security Group. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)