PALACE: PRESIDENT’S HEALTH IS OK; IS IN ‘PERPETUAL ISOLATION’

Malacañang reassured the public on Monday that President Duterte’s health is “okay and fine,” amid rumors that he was flown to Singapore over the weekend.

“The President is in perpetual isolation because no one can come close to him. Whenever we meet with him, there is a velvet rope that keeps him at least six feet away from everyone else so no one can really come close to the President,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque told a press briefing.

“So I guess my answer is, he’s in perpetual isolation in the sense that PSG (Presidential Security Group) has done a very good job in making sure that no one really comes close to the President,” he said.

He cited the PSG’S move to discourage the President from shaking people’s hands during his State of the Nation Address last month as a “precautionary measure of maintaining physical distance” of one to two meters.

Meanwhile, Sen. Christopher ‘”Bong” Go, the President’s former close aide, slammed rumors about the chief executive supposedly being in a hospital abroad and shared a photo of the latter taken at his Davao City home Monday.

The photo, which Go posted on Facebook, showed President Duterte at the dining table with his partner Honeylet Avancena holding up the Monday edition of a national broadsheet.

Also in the photo is their daughter Veronica who was holding a baby.

“The President is just in the Philippines and ready to serve his fellow Filipinos,” said Go.

On Monday night, the President himself took to Facebook to dispel rumors over his health.

Mr. Duterte appeared in a live video that lasted for one minute and 16 seconds on Go’s FB account.

“Well as you can see clearly, I’ve been in Davao all along. I am avoiding COVID-19,” the President said.