AT 75, President Rodrigo Duterte remains strong and able to withstand stressful work, says his spokesperson.
According to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, Duterte is as well as “anyone his age,” even as he warded off what he aptly described as baseless insinuation that had the Malacanang chief executive absent during the onslaught of this year’s strongest storm, as an indication of serious ailment.
Roque said that the President would not have been able to visit typhoon-battered Guinobatan, Albay last Monday if his health was bad — “He is as good as anyone of his age.”
Super typhoon Rolly (international name: Goni) severely battered the Bicolandia with maximum sustained wind speed of 225 kilometers per hour as it dumped heavy rain across the region.
On Sunday, Cabinet officials held a press briefing. Duterte, who was then in Davao City, skipped the event, prompting many among the public to ask where the country’s leader was amid the calamity. The hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo (where is the President?) trended after his no-show.
The President on Monday led an aerial survey over Bicol and later appeared before residents of Guinobatan town, where Rolly spawned landslides of volcanic ash from nearby Mt. Mayon.
During his Guinobatan visit, Duterte was seen with his anti-coronavirus mask off his face and hanging off one ear while residents stood close together to see him.
Roque said he did not know whether or not the President’s mask was removed by accident.
“Ang importante po, nakarating po doon sa Guinobatan… Kung natanggal man ang mask niya, iyong danger ay na kay Presidente. Pero hindi po niya natiis ang mga Bicolano, pinuntahan niya. He exposed himself to the threat of COVID-19,” he said.
In August, Duterte had said his doctor had warned that his Barret’s esophagus may progress into cancer. The disease is a condition where the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach is inflamed.