MANILA, Philippines — After President Rodrigo Duterte cut his Japan trip short due to unbearable pain” in his spine, Senator Koko Pimentel described the President as “a normal 70-year-old man.”
Duterte headed to the wake of former Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., upon his arrival from Japan.
Duterte was in Japan to attend the enthronement of Japanese Emperor Naruhito and was originally scheduled to return to the country on Wednesday.
Asked about what he thinks of the President’s condition during the visit, Koko said that Duterte is “okay”.
“Okay naman si President. Si President parati kong kasama yan sa campaign, para sa akin, he’s a normal 70-year-old man. Plus the fact na may pagod siyempre sa byahe, we should understand that,” Pimentel told reporters.
(The President is okay. I am frequently with the president during the campaign season and for me, he’s a normal 70-year-old man. Plus the fact that he is tired from the trip, we should understand that.)
“Pinuri niya si Senator Nene Pimentel, that he has lived a long and productive life in the service of the nation. Sabi niya: The nation will long long remember the achievements, the good deeds of my father Senator Nene Pimentel.’ Isa na nga dun ang Local Government Code,” Koko said.
(He praised Senator Nene Pimentel, that he has lived a long and productive life in the service of the nation. He said, ’The nation will long long remember the achievements, the good deeds of my father Senator Nene Pimentel.’ One of them is the Local Government Code.)
Likewise, Koko said he thanked Duterte for backing his and his father’s campaign sorties in Davao City.
“Parati kaming nananalo sa Davao, walang ginagastos, doon lang kami nakasandal kay Mayor Duterte. Ipinakita namin na kami ay may utang na loob kay President Duterte,” he said.
(We always win in Davao, no expenses, we only relied on Mayor Duterte. We showed him that we owe him.)
“Nene” Pimentel is known as the “Father of the Local Government Code”.
He was one of the members of the Consultative Committee (ConCom) which was tasked by Duterte to review the 1987 Constitution which would pave the way for the drafting of a new charter for a federal form of government.
The late senator succumbed of lymphoma and pneumonia on Sunday. He was 85. / gsg