Biography traces Duterte’s lineage

MANILA, Philippines — His family has always been moderately wealthy, he has some Chinese ancestry but no links to the Maranaos as he claims, and the “Roa” in his name was adopted.

An unauthorized biography of President Duterte has traced the lineage of the Chief Executive, claiming that Roa is an adopted family name and there is no proof that he has Maranao blood.

Citing interviews and research, Earl Parreño, author of “Beyond Will and Power,” says that Duterte’s maternal grandfather Eleno had adopted the surname Roa in gratitude to former Cebu governor Manuel Roa, who supported his education.

“He is not a Roa, he is a Fernandez,” Parreño said in an interview with “The Chiefs” on Cignal TV’s One News aired on Friday night.

“His (Eleno’s) father is one Eugenio Fernandez from Talisay, Cebu… He claimed that they are Roa so the birth certificate of Nanay Soling was a Roa,” Parreño added, referring to Soledad Roa Duterte, the mother of the President.

Parreño said the President’s mother also made the same claim in her unpublished autobiography.

“(It is out) of gratitude to Manuel Roa who supported his education that’s why he used Roa,” he said, referring to Eleno. “But sometimes out of respect to his father, he used Eleno Roa y Fernandez.”

The biographer, however, admitted that Duterte has a claim to the surname, noting that his mother has used it since her birth.

The President attended the Roa clan grand reunion in Cagayan de Oro City earlier this year, based on photos published by the Presidential Communications Operations Office.

In the biography, Parreño also said there was no evidence to support the President’s claim that he has Maranao blood, adding that even the Roa clan was not able to verify this.

He confirmed, though, that the President has Chinese blood, saying one of his great grandmothers was from a Spanish-Chinese family from Talisay.

Parreño said the information he used in his book was based on interviews and documents on FamilySearch, a nonprofit specializing on genealogical records.

Parreño said he wrote the biography to provide the public more information about the President, noting that nothing substantial has been written about the life of Duterte.

“This book is not anti or pro, it is just a fair portrayal of who Duterte really is,” he said, stressing that it is a balanced portrayal of the Chief Executive. “I’ll be tackling his ancestry, transformative years and his rise to mayorship and presidency.”