Philippines says Duterte ‘alive and well’ amid health rumours

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is alive and well and experiencing no health problems, the government said yesterday, amid concerns about his disappearance from the public eye for unusually long periods this month.

Known for a busy schedule and lengthy speeches often several times a day, the 72-year- old Duterte’s low profile has fuelled rumours he is in declining health and that the government is trying to keep that under wraps. He was last seen in public a week ago.

What has created most intrigue is Duterte’s absence during what is the biggest crisis of his year-old presidency, as the military battles for a sixth week to defeat Islamic State-linked rebels currently occupying Marawi City on his home island of Mindanao.

“First and foremost, he is alive and well, he is very well, he’s just busy doing what he needs to do,”, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters.

“As you’ve seen he’s been very much in the public eye but being out of the public eye, that is when he is able to do office work, he signs papers, he reads, he consults, he’s actually very busy.

“The thing that is very important to note is that he is on top of every situation, he is aware of what’s happening, he’s updated regularly, he reads, he listens and he’s quite aware. This is just his working style.”