President Duterte finally made his first public appearance after a weeklong absence from the public eye, which fueled speculation that he had suffered a heart attack and was in a hospital.
On Tuesday afternoon, the President received the credentials of new Thailand Ambassador to Manila Vasin Ruangprateepsaeng in Malacañang.
It was the President’s first public appearance since he cast his ballot in the May 13 midterm elections.
“Pardon for (being) about two minutes late, just signing some papers,” the President said in his remarks addressed to the new Thailand ambassador.
The President noted that Thailand and the Philippines, neighbors in Southeast Asia, are “similar in all things, including our desire to have a peaceful Southeast Pacific region.”