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MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will let the public know that he is suffering from a "serious illness," his spokesman said Friday, a day after the leader said in a statement. public speech that he had gone to the hospital for tests.
PHOTO FILE: President Rodrigo Duterte expresses himself after his arrival, during a visit to Israel and Jordan at the Davao International Airport in Davao City, in the southern Philippines, on 8 September 2018. REUTERS / Lean Daval Jr.
Rumors about Duterte's health problems resurfaced after the 73-year-old president, known for his busy schedule and long speeches, missed two official events on Wednesday, including a meeting with the cabinet.
In a televised speech on Thursday night, Duterte told senior security officials that he had gone to a private hospital for a procedure, his doctors wanting to get more tissue samples.
In the same speech, he did not specify but he said: "I will tell you if it is a cancer".
"The result of the examination, whether or not it can be made public, will depend on what they have discovered," said Duterte's spokesman, Harry Roque, citing a provision of the Philippine constitution on the public disclosure of the state of health of the president.
"The president is not inclined to hide anything about his health. I assure the public that the President will not hide anything. If it is serious, he will inform the nation. "
Under Philippine law, if an incumbent president dies in the performance of his duties, is permanently disabled or is impeached, the vice-president succeeds in serving the remaining years in a single term of office. six years old.
Vice President Leni Robredo, leader of the political opposition, was elected separately in 2016 and could fuel uncertainty in the succession process given the extremely polarized political climate.
Roque said that he was being held "in the dark" about the president's visit to a hospital, for an endoscopy procedure.
"In his own words, endoscopy was recommended because they wanted to be sure that there was growth and they wanted to know more about growth," Roque said. "This is the context for which he said" if his cancer, "" he said.
When asked if the president was dying, Roque replied, "I do not think so".
Report by Manuel Mogato; Edited by Michael Perry
