Palace quells rumors about Duterte Health

Presidential spokesperson Hary Roque —JOAN BONDOC

Mere gossip and “fake news.”

Malacañang on Thursday denied rumors that President Duterte was recently taken to the hospital amid speculations about his health.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque pointed out that the President was scheduled to grace the celebration of the 69th Araw ng Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay on Thursday afternoon.

“There is no truth to the rumors that the President was rushed to the hospital… It is ‘tsismis.’ It is fake news,” Roque said at a press briefing in the province.

He said the President did go to Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City on Sunday night for a regular checkup.

“He spent about an hour and a half for the routine examination. He was declared to be in good health,” Roque said.

Rumors

President Duterte went to Malacañang after his hospital visit to rehearse for his third State of the Nation Address.

Roque said the President “has not been to any medical facility since.”

The presidential spokesperson made the remarks in reaction to rumors that the President might be seriously ill.

Malacañang appealed to the public not to spread speculations about the President’s health.

“It is in fact a crime to spread this kind of news. There is no truth to these rumors,” Roque said.

He said the President leading the celebration of the 69th Araw ng Ipil “will belie all these false reports.”

President Duterte’s schedule for Thursday afternoon included a visit to fire victims of Labuan, Zamboanga City, and a visit to wounded soldiers at Camp Navarro General Hospital at the Western Mindanao Command, also in Zamboanga City.

The President’s health has been a national concern but the Palace has firmly refused the suggestion of issuing medical bulletins about it.

Public’s right to know

Section 12 of Article VII of the Constitution states that the public must be informed of the President’s health in case of serious illness.

President Duterte cited ill health for skipping several important official events.

During the presidential campaign in 2016, he admitted that that he had four ailments. He has back problems and migraines due to nerve damage after a motorcycle accident more than 10 years ago.

He also has said he suffers from Barrett’s esophagus, which affects his throat, as well as Buerger’s disease, a constriction of the blood vessels caused by accumulation of nicotine.

During the campaign period, he was also diagnosed with acute bronchitis.

In December 2016, Mr. Duterte talked about his health problems, which included daily migraines and pain in his spine.

Powerful painkiller

The President disclosed that he was taking the powerful painkiller Fentanyl, used by cancer patients, but denied that he was suffering from cancer, a rumor that arose during the campaign.

Fentanyl is a prescription drug similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. Side effects include nausea, vomiting, confusion, hallucination and seizures.

In February 2017, the President disclosed that a certain doctor named Del Rosario from Cardinal Santos Medical Center had visited him in Malacañang after he felt pain in his heart.

He said he had to undergo “EKG,” also known as ECG, or electrocardiogram, a test to determine the electrical activity of the heart.

Last month, the President revealed that he vomited on the plane on his way back to Manila from Seoul.

Roque said at the time that the President had a migraine attack during his trip back to the Philippines. — REPORTS FROM JULIE M. AURELIO AND INQUIRER RESEARCH