President Duterte’s passion for riding motorbikes has not wavered despite his previous accident.
The President took his motorbike for a spin over the weekend, causing a slight panic among his security aides.
According to Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, the President proudly told him about his latest motorbike ride and how he enjoyed being back on the two wheels.
“He shared to me yesterday. Sabi niya, ‘Alam mo ba I went out sa motorsiklo.’ Nagmotorsiklo daw siya sa subdivision niya. Di ko na alam kung kahapon yon o day before,” Panelo said during a Palace press briefing.
“Sabi niya, lumabas siya pagka-tapos parang ginanahan siya mag-motor, lumabas siya ng subdivision o di nataranta ang PSG pero after a while daw nakita na,” he added.
He said Duterte even noted that some people saw him riding the motorbike outside his residence and posed for photographs with him.
The President’s motorbike trip, Panelo added, showed that Duterte remains healthy despite his absence from the public eye last week.
“Kahapon binida niya sa akin… It only shows kung nakaka-motor siya, eh di in good health. ‘Yun lang ang ibig sabinin nun,” he said.
Last year, Duterte admitted he was suffering from perpetual pain due to a spinal injury as a result of motorbike accident years ago.
The President, meantime, is expected to break his weeklong absence on Tuesday when he attends a public engagement in Malacañang.
Duterte has been away from the public view for the past week as he was supposedly busy with paperwork an other private meetings.
A photo of the President spending time with his partner Honeylet Avanceña and daughter Veronica last weekend has been released to the public Sunday night. It was Avanceña who released the family photo taken inside their Davao residence.
Senator Christopher Go also shared photos of the President upon his arrival at Bahay ng Pagbabago Sunday night.
Panelo explained anew that the President was attending to a lot of paperwork and private meetings. “He has many paperwork. He reads it one by one. He won’t sign it without thoroughly reading all these papers. At the same time he has private meetings and courtesy calls,” he said. (Genalyn Kabiling)
