Duterte likes to sleep on the job

– Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday made light of his penchant for daytime dozes after his office said “power naps” had caused the gruff leader to miss a number of key meetings at a Singapore summit.

Duterte is attending the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting alongside a string of world leaders including Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Japan’s Shinzo Abe, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and US Vice-President Mike Pence.

But on Wednesday, the mercurial leader missed four of the 11 meetings he was slated to attend, as well as a gala dinner hosted by Singaporean leader Lee Hsien Loong.

“What’s wrong with my nap?” the 73-year-old told reporters as he arrived at the summit venue yesterday morning for another long day of meetings.

Asked if he felt fully rested he replied: “Enough to sustain the endurance for the last days.”

Duterte’s no-shows on Wednesday prompted a statement from his office explaining he had only had three hours of sleep the night before.

“He took power naps to catch [up] on sleep,” presidential spokesperson Salvador S Panelo said. –

Singapore