Malacañang said yesterday that President Duterte has not been seen in any public events last week as he was busy working, extinguishing new rumors that the Chief Executive is sick.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, at the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers Of Commerce & Industry Inc. Mooncake Festival, said Duterte was unable to attend the event because the President had a lot on his plate.
He assured that Duterte is not sick. “Basta naririnig niyo pang nagpi-PI, okay na okay pa ‘yun,” Panelo said.
“Malakas pa sa akin ‘yun, eh. Marami kasi siyang ginagawang ano, ang dami siyang papeles, tapos ang daming private meetings, maraming courtesy calls. So, busyng-busy siya,” he added.
The Palace official said that Duterte will be in the public eye next week.
“But by next week, marami na naman siya, parang may nakita akong schedule doon,” Panelo said.
Panelo had also earlier assured that Duterte remained “workaholic” despite being out of sight in the past few days.
“Si Presidente busy sa paper work, busy sa engagement – busy sa lahat si Presidente, hindi ba? Workaholic masyado itong mama,” he said.
There was no public engagement in the President’s schedule since the start of last week.
However, he had a few private engagements last weekend, including attending the wake of a soldier’s daughter who died due to complications after undergoing surgery for biliary atresia, a childhood disease of the liver in which one or more bile ducts are abnormally narrow, blocked, or absent. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)
