Senate Senior Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito said he felt saddened by the noticeable physical changes in his longtime friend, former President Rody Duterte, during Duterte’s first in-person appearance before the International Criminal Court – ICC.
Ejercito, who worked closely with Duterte during his administration’s massive “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program, said the 81-year-old former president appeared visibly frailer and older.
“Kahit papaano, nakatrabaho ko rin si President Duterte, lalo na dun sa kanyang ‘Build, Build, Build.’ I have always defended Department of Transportation – Philippines nung kanyang mga proyekto,” Ejercito said.
“May lungkot akong naramdaman nung nakita ko siya first time in a long time,” Ejercito added, describing Duterte as significantly thinner, pale and sporting longer hair.
Some social media users interpreted his remarks out of context, and PGMN reached out to Ejercito for clarification.
“My concern was sincere. I love PRRD,” he told PGMN. “I love PRRD as a friend.”
Ejercito’s comments came months after Duterte’s lawyers raised his “unexplained weight loss” as one of their concerns about his health. The defense cited the condition in a request for an independent medical evaluation, although publicly available records have not established its cause.
Duterte, 81, appeared in court wearing a black suit and white shirt but remained silent during the hearing on alleged crimes against humanity. The status conference focused on preparations for his trial, set to begin Nov. 30, as well as his ability to take part in the proceedings.
For nearly a decade, Ejercito has been among Duterte’s consistent allies in the Philippine Senate, with their political relationship shaped by shared infrastructure priorities and campaign endorsements.
Their alliance grew stronger during Duterte’s six-year presidency. Ejercito helped secure the passage of the Universal Health Care Act and the law establishing the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.
Duterte also supported Ejercito during elections. In 2019, Ejercito ran under the senatorial slate of Hugpong ng Pagbabago, the regional party formed by Duterte’s daughter, then Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. Duterte referred to Ejercito as “my candidate” that year, pointing to his advocacy for land reform in Boracay.
When Ejercito pursued a return to the Senate in 2022, Duterte endorsed him in a video as “a friend and a partner of this administration in pushing for advocacies that advance our development agenda.” Ejercito won, while Sara Duterte’s Davao political network later also campaigned for him.
