Malacañang on Tuesday, November 27, said President Rodrigo Duterte is in good physical condition amid health issues critics have raised because he had skipped a number of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) events.
According to Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, the president has had a grueling schedule prior the summit.
“(Is he physically fit?) Oh yes, he is punishing his schedule,” Panelo said in a media briefing.
“That does not mean, as alleged by certain people, (that) it’s laziness or he’s seriously ill. It’s fallacious,” he added.
Duterte told reporters during the ASEAN Summit in Singapore that he needed to catch up on sleep to sustain his endurance.
But Panelo maintained the president missed events that could be skipped, and that he was present for the important ones.
“One, that is only an opening so it’s not that important. Two three and four, he had to read only joint statements from ASEAN countries, and then there was going to be a discussion among the Presidents so he just tasked Secretary Locsin to read the statement for him,” Panelo explained.
“Did you notice us too? We were falling asleep.. Rather than be embarrassed than fall asleep there, the camera focused on you, mag-power nap ka nalang muna, anyway, sandali lang naman ‘yun. (Just take a power nap, anyway, that won’t take long),” he added.
In contrast to Malaysia’s Mahathir
Duterte’s sleep catch-up has drawn criticisms from some people, as well as comparisons with the 93-year-old Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse during the same summit, Mahathir said he does not know how he manages to still attend the events despite his age.
“I always attend meetings. It’s my duty. If I can, I will. If I’m sick, I won’t,” he said.
Panelo, for his part, pointed out that that age is not indicative of a person’s state of health.
“For one, the physique of the two may not be exactly the same. There are people older and yet stronger than younger ones. It depends,” he said.
Duterte’s health has been a hot topic after he admitted to having several medical conditions. In his previous speeches, he mentioned that he was suffering from migraines, nausea, pain due to a spinal injury, Buerger’s disease or a disorder affecting blood vessels, and Barrett’s esophagus or a complication which causes heartburn or acid indigestion.
Calls for transparency by disclosing medical records of the president or issuance of a regular medical bulletin have been reiterated by critics again and again.
