Palace: ‘The President has no serious illness’

MALACAÑANG ON Sunday slammed Magdalo Rep. Gary C. Alejano’s “misinformation” on the health of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.In a press conference last Saturday, Mr. Alejano told reporters that Mr. Duterte is “old and unhealthy.”

“What will happen to our country if the President has a problem — that he is no longer capable of leading our country?” he added.

In a press statement on Sunday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said: “The President has no serious illness. Just this week, we have seen the Chief Executive in his usual fiery self addressing the Conference of the League of Municipalities (LMP) Visayas Island Cluster in Cebu and the 12th Anniversary of the Eastern Mindanao Command in Davao.”

He also said: “The President has always been forthright about his condition. What he is experiencing is typical of people of his age.”

“Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano’s misinformation is certainly in aid of election. We hope the people will judge him accordingly,” Mr. Roque added.

On Aug. 14, Mr. Duterte said he was “thinking of stepping down because [he’s] tired.”

“This is not the first time we heard from the President that he wants to resign. More often, we would also hear from his speeches rants over being tired and experiencing illnesses due to old age. In this regard, I believe the public has the right to know the health status of the President especially now that he is once again insinuating stepping down from office,” Mr. Alejano said in a press statement on Aug. 19. —