Soledad Roa-Duterte (born Soledad Gonzales Roa; November 14, 1916 – February 4, 2012) was a Filipino teacher, entrepreneur and activist. She was the mother of

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

, the 16th

president of the Philippines The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-ch ...

Early life

Duterte was born Soledad Gonzales Roa on November 14, 1916, in Cabadbaran, Agusan (present-day Agusan del Norte) to Eleno Roa and Fortunata Gonzales. The Roas trace their roots to

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

. She finished her primary and secondary education in Cabadbaran and attended the Philippine Normal School in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

for her collegiate studies. She then entered the Bureau of Public Schools, working as a public schoolteacher. She also taught at the

University of the Visayas The University of the Visayas (UV) is a private institution located in Cebu City, Philippines. It is the first school in the province of Cebu to attain university status. History Vicente Gullas (1898–1970) founded the University of the Visa ...

in Danao campus.

Career

In October 1966, Duterte was named board member of the

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a City of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the List of Philippine cities and municipalities ...

chapter of the Citizen's Council for Mass Media, which aimed "to foster and protect the moral welfare of our society" through the promotion of clean and wholesome media. Duterte, or ''Nanay Soling'' () as she is fondly called, led the Yellow Friday Movement in Davao City against the regime of President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

, leading to the

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, were a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

in 1986. She also founded and oversaw the Soledad Duterte Foundation, which conducted livelihood and skills training to the indigenous people of Marahan, near the boundary area of

Bukidnon Bukidnon (), officially the Province of Bukidnon (; ; ; Bukid language, Binukid and Higaonon language, Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindan ...

. She was also president and chairperson of the Welfare Action Foundation.

Death

Duterte died at the Davao Doctors Hospital on February 4, 2012, at the age of 95.

Personal life

Duterte was married to Vicente Duterte, a Cebuano lawyer whom she first met while working at the Bureau of Public Schools. After moving back and forth between

Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; Filipino language, Filipino: ''Kabisayaan'' ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, a ...

and

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

, the Dutertes settled in the then-undivided Davao province in 1950, where Vicente served as governor. Vicente died in February 1968. The couple had five children: Eleanor;

Rodrigo Rodrigo () is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name ''Roderick'' ( Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the la ...

; the 16th

; Jocelyn, who made unsuccessful bids for various elective posts in Davao City; Emmanuel, who sought the city's first district seat; and Benjamin, who served as member of the Davao City Council from 1998 to 2001. She is the paternal grandmother of Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte,

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

Sara Duterte Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio (, ; born May 31, 1978), commonly known as Inday Sara, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who is the 15th and current vice president of the Philippines. She is the third female vice president (after Gloria Macap ...

and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duterte, Soledad 1916 births 2012 deaths 20th-century Filipino educators 21st-century Filipino educators Soledad Duterte Filipino women activists Filipino women educators Filipino schoolteachers People from Agusan del Norte People from Davao City People from Southern Leyte Philippine Normal University alumni