DUTERTE SAYS HEALTH MAY FORCE HIM TO STEP DOWN

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he was uncertain if he’s still physically fit and signalled a readiness to step down if he has any serious illness such as cancer. “I don’t know where I am now physically but I have to wait for the results” of the tests, the 73-year-old leader told graduates of the Philippine Military Academy on Thursday, acknowledging he had gone to a hospital for digestive tract tests, which his aides have denied. “But I would tell you that — if it’s cancer, it’s cancer. And if it’s third stage, no more treatment. I will not prolong my agony in this office or anywhere,” Duterte said, according to a transcript of his speech. The president is awaiting the findings on “a growth” and is only required to disclose the results if these indicate a serious illness, his spokesman Harry Roque said.