By ROY C. MABASA * ARGYLL GEDUCOS
The Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday branded as “fake news” a circulating blog post alleging that President Duterte hastily returned to the country, reportedly not due to the unbearable pain he was experiencing, but because he was “unceremoniously ignored” at the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo last Tuesday.
DFA Assistant Secretary Eduardo MeÑez said the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo dismissed the allegations contained in the social media post entitled “No Unbearable Pain” when he inquired about the next day.
“I verified with Tokyo (Philippine Embassy), the allegations are false,” Menez said.
It was claimed in the blog – which first appeared on the Facebook page of a certain “Ding Velasco” – that in late August, Duterte has declined the invitation to attend the enthronement of the new Japanese Emperor when the formal invitation was sent out to world leaders.
“We were not privy to the reason why but such an official reply from Manila means the Philippine Delegation to the Enthronement Rites would be reduced to our Philippine Ambassador and was therefore relegated down the line,” the blogger claimed.
Last Monday, Malacanang announced that the President will attend the Japanese royal’s enthronement ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Oct. 22 despite earlier pronouncements that he will skip it to prioritize work.
It was allegedly because of this sudden change in Duterte’s decision that the seat reserved to the Philippines was relegated for an ambassador, and not for a head of state.
When informed about the seating arrangement, the Duterte camp reportedly tried to ask the Japanese enthronement committee to “re-arrange the seating protocol.”
“The seating protocol allotted to the Philippines was for an Ambassador, not a Head of State and when upon arriving in Japan – Duterte was notified of this (to seat at the back with Ambassadors) – they tried to ask the Enthronement Committee to re-arrange the seating protocol – and their request was denied, because it would create a ‘domino effect’ in the seating protocol of hundreds of Heads of State who already had their seating numbers based on protocol,” it was claimed in the blog.
When he arrived in Tokyo Tuesday, Duterte was welcomed by Philippine Ambassador to Japan Jose Laurel V and former Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhide Ishikawa.
The news of the President’s arrival in Tokyo did not mention if a ranking Japanese official or a Foreign Ministry representative was even present to meet the Philippine leader.
It was further claimed that when Duterte learned that he would be seated at the back and not alongside with other world leaders in attendance, “they decided he would be humiliated – thus the invention of ‘unbearable pain’ as the reason for leaving Tokyo at the exact moment the new Japanese Emperor was being crowned.”
“His impetuous decision to attend with barely a week’s notice has necessitated the national expense of more than P35 Million (we will never know the exact amount wasted) – only to be chastised and ‘concluded again’ by the respectful and courteous Japanese who cannot and won’t bend their national rituals to appease Duterte. As they say in Tokyo: “When in Japan; do as the Japanese do,” the blogger wrote.
Velasco pointed out that in several videos taken during the wake of former Senate President Nene Pimentel, Duterte had no walking cane unlike how he was seen in Tokyo.
“He mingled unassisted. He functioned on his own, there wasn’t ‘visible wincing or difficulty,'” he said.
Malacañang yesterday also debunked the social media post.
In a very short statement contrary to his usual lengthy ones, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo denied that Duterte was snubbed in Tokyo.
“Absolutely false,” he said.
Duterte cut short his trip to Tokyo because of unbearable pain caused by the motorcycle incident he figured in last week.
Malacanang yesterday confirmed that Duterte saw a doctor who advised him to rest for a few days and limit his physical activities.
