If the health of President Rodrigo Duterte is not really critically threatened, let’s just focus on the country’s economic health instead, Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said Sunday.
Pangilinan made this statement following the issues surrounding the medical condition of President Rodrigo Duterte after the result of his endoscopy showed a possible “growth” in his digestive tract, prompting him to undergo further test.
READ: Possible ‘growth’ seen in Duterte’s digestive tract after test – Palace
“The problem is we do not know if the President is serious or not. If this is true or simply another remark, he can claim it to be a joke,” he said in a statement.
“If he is serious, then full disclosure is required but if not, then it would be best that we stop such talk and focus our time and attention on looking for solutions to the serious problems of spiraling high prices of food, gasoline, and other basic commodities,” he added.
In August, the country’s inflation was at 6.4 percent, prompting the rise in prices of basic commodities.
As food prices remain elevated, inflation rose to 6.7 percent year-on-year in September, a new over nine-year high, the government reported on Friday. /je